Turtles Arise!
by Shockeye7665
Summary: 2183, on the Citadel, an unlikely family resides within the sewers of Tayseri Ward. After Splinter allows the Turtles to go to the "surface", they soon find themselves in the midst of a vast plot involving the robotics company Stocktronics and the pro-human group known as Cerberus. Part of the Turtle Effect series. Rated M for violence and language.
1. Prologue Part 1

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>Chiba Prefecture, Japan, Earth<em>.  
><em>May 2164<em>.

Within the late, night time hours of Earth, at a small Minka, sitting in a lotus flower position, meditating within a Washitsu, was a man with a face that both radiated gruffness and handsomeness. With long black hair, with a hint of greying in them, brown eyes, five o'clock shadow and cuts all over the cheek, nose and chin, sustained in sparring, he was quite the attraction to many of the women, but of course, nowadays, he somehow knew that they'll be disappointed, once the secret was out that he was a married man.

And soon, he became aware that someone close to him was speaking.

"Yoshi? Yoshi"?

Opening his eyes, Hamato Yoshi drew his eyes onto the person speaking to him, his wife of 4 months, Tang Shen. Smiling at her, she smiled back, as Yoshi stood up and put his hands on her hips and drew her in closer for a kiss.  
>And after Yoshi drew away to look at her beautiful face, Shen looked down towards her stomach.<br>"Everything alright"?  
>A worried look on her face appeared, and Shen replied, "Yes, Yoshi. It's just, that, I've been thinking, a lot lately, about our moving to New York..."<br>"Tang Shen, we've been over this".  
>Sighing, she continued on, "yes, I know that you want us to get away from Oroku Saki, and I know you're doing what you think is best, but is going to New York really the best idea for our child, Yoshi? Our child will not know or see our home country, it's culture and it's customs. Our child will be a stranger in a foreign land".<br>Drawing her close to him, Hamato Yoshi also sighed and replied "I know. Those thoughts have been on my mind for quite some time. But Shen, I just want us to have the chance to spend the rest of our lives, to live in peace within New York, and that includes our child".  
>"I know, Japan may be our home country, but Oroku Saki will not give us the peace we deserve. His jealously knows no bounds and he refuses to recognize the love you have for me. And I want to get us away from him, before he manages to find out about us being married, or that we have a child on the way. I only dread of what he could do, if the situation comes to that".<br>"And don't worry, Shen, even if we move to New York, we will still be able to teach our child the customs and the culture of our homeland. But now isn't the time to think about these things, Tang Shen. We'll cross that bridge when it comes to it".  
>"Maybe you are right, Yoshi".<br>Kissing her on the head, and then crouching down, to kiss the area where their unborn child was growing, Tang Shen smiled at looking at the genuine love he had for her, and their unborn child.

And then, squeaking came from the other occupant of the house, Yoshi and Shen's pet rat, whom he had given it the name of Splinter. Moving to go over to his dojo, he opened the fusuma, and after drawing eyes onto the cage that held Splinter, went over to open his cage, and once doing so, held out his arm, as so to invite Splinter to climb onto him, which he did so.

For a few moments, Hamato Yoshi enjoyed the feeling of his pet rat climbing up to his shoulder and sniffing, until he then gently took the rat into his hands, and put him back into his cage. Closing the door and locking it, the tranquil peace was then disturbed when knocking came from the genkan, one floor down, and Tang Shen was about to tend to it, but Yoshi turned to her and said "I'll get that, Tang Shen. You need to rest anyway".  
>Even though an angry look was displayed on her face, Yoshi already was going down the stairs, and towards the genkan.<p>

Arriving at the big fusuma that stood between his home, and the outside world that was the land of his birth, Hamato Yoshi pulled the handle aside, and received the shock of his life, with ninja in black shinobi shōzoku, aiming hankyū bows with arrows right directly at him. Then, other ninja rushed in, pushing him right onto the floor. Struggling against them pinning him down, he then saw one particular ninja, who he presumed, was leading this invasion of his home, due to that all the other ninja were moving out of his way and differing to him. And Yoshi soon saw the small symbol on their right arms.

A left human foot, all completely red. The symbol of the Foot Clan.

Fear was rushing to him, and it showed on his now paling face, as the lead ninja raised a boot and slammed it right down on him. Hard.

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><p><strong>Well, here is the beginning of Turtles Arise! The first of the Turtle Effect series, a Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesMass Effect crossover series. It contains elements from all the TMNT franchise (Mirage comics, the movies, the 1987 cartoon, the 2003 cartoon, the current 2012 series and the video games), and if you're wondering if the Turtles' will join Shepard and his crew, well, you might be a bit disappointed. For the 2183 depicted, is set several months before Mass Effect 1. But don't worry. Future stories will provide opportunities for all sorts of Mass Effect characters to appear in, including Shepard and the crew of the Normandy.**

**So, anyway, don't forget to leave a review.**

**Edit (11/2/14): Put in a disclaimer.  
>Edit (143/14): Fixed the page up a bit.  
>Update (254/14): Fixed up some grammar.  
>Update (265/14): Put in a few speech marks in that were missing. I was sure that they were in there before. But anyways, fixed now.**


	2. Prologue Part 2

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>Chiba Prefecture, Japan, Earth<em>.  
><em>May 2164<em>.

Groggily, Hamato Yoshi was awakening and adrenaline filled him, as he soon was back into consciousness and even though seeing that the entire living room was full of Foot ninja, Yoshi tried to get himself onto his feet, but soon found himself restrained by two other Foot ninja, holding him down in a strong grip. But that didn't stop him from trying.

"Don't bother, Hamato. Even if you did get away, you wouldn't survive a horde of my best ninja".

A chill flowed through his body as he heard that voice, a voice that was familiar to him, the owner being the very reason they planned to move to New York.  
>Moving his head, he soon saw Oroku Saki come into his view, dressed in a crimson red samurai suit of armor with a modified Kabuto with a mengu, that covered his face, accompanied by the same Foot ninja who had knocked him unconscious. Unlike the rest of the ninja, who wore black outfits, with hoods that had red bandanas and "bug eyes", which served as rebreathers, and had enhanced vision capabilities, like a zoom feature, thermal imaging, night vision and electromagnetic vision, the lead ninja did wear a black outfit, but wore also, a modified Kabuto with a mengu, showing nothing that could help identify him.<p>

Standing at 6 foot 5 inches, and with a very bulky physique, Saki seemed to not fit the role of a ninja, the swift and silent assassins and spies, but whenever it came to direct combat, Saki's physique was his advantage, as he used brute force and full on strength in his attacks. But he was still capable of being stealthy, when the time came to it.

But Yoshi was contemplating a much harder revelation. That Foot ninja were behind the invasion of his home, the Foot! The very ninja clan he was a part of!

Seeing Oroku Saki, seemingly in charge of all the other Foot ninja, with the one accompanying him supposedly his number two, left him pondering for a bit, until the man in question shouted at him to regain his attention.  
>Yoshi refocused his attention onto Saki, and then a thought came to him.<p>

_Tang Shen_…_..._

"Where is Tang Shen, Oroku Saki! And why have you invaded my home"?  
>"Silence, Yoshi! You will treat my brother with respect"!<p>

Shocked, Yoshi drew his attention on the lead Foot ninja. Oroku Nagi, Oroku Saki's younger brother.  
>The two were very close, but while Saki relied on his physique and brute strength, Nagi was more reliant on his agility and his impulsiveness, which usually had to be held in check by Saki. And what was more surprising, was that Nagi seemed to be a leading Foot ninja, whilst his impulsiveness was the one holding him back from rising further in the ranks.<p>

Even though his face was covered by a Mengu, Yoshi was sure that Oroku Saki was grinning, as he turned to his brother, "calm yourself, Nagi. After all, he is worried about his, so-called beloved wife, was it, Hamato"?  
>Paling, Hamato Yoshi was deep in shock, as he contemplated this revelation. The wedding between him and Shen was secret, how could he have known?<br>Laughing, Oroku Saki drew his face closer to Yoshi, and took off his mengu, revealing his face, all full of sparring cuts and cold, emotionless eyes.

"Oh, don't be so shocked, Hamato. After all, I do have my sources within the Foot. They all told me about your secret union. After all, even a small wedding cannot be hidden so easily, despite what preparations you could do. As for Tang Shen, you shall see for yourself in a moment, for she's being held upstairs, but anyway, in regards as to why I have 'invaded' your home. I am here, because those same sources, told me that you made plans. Plans for you and Tang Shen to leave Japan and to move away to New York City, over in the United North American States".

Looking at Hamato's once again shocked face, Saki continued.

"And thus, did you think that I'd allow you to get away from me? No, no, I could not allow you or my beloved Tang Shen to leave, for I came here to claim what is truly mine".  
>Anger swept all over Yoshi's face, at the delusion of Saki, thinking that Tang Shen was still his for the taking.<br>"How many times do I have to say this? Tang Shen is not yours, she was and will never be yours! She made her decision a long time ago, and you must accept that if you truly love her"!  
>Growling, Saki put a hand on the helt of his katana, that was currently sheathed, but then Nagi, surprisingly, put his hand on Saki's arm.<br>"Don't, brother. He's just trying to plague you with his lies, trying to provoke you, brother. Don't fall for it".

A look of surprise was present on Saki's face, and Yoshi couldn't blame him, for some reason. Saki was usually the one who gave this sort of advice to Nagi, and not the other way around.  
>Looking at his brother, Saki went "I'm surprised, Nagi. I'm usually the one who has to keep you in line. Perhaps my appointing you to my inner circle has matured you somewhat. Anyway, we need to get back to business, but we will talk about this later".<p>

Turning back to Yoshi, as if the whole thing had never happened, Saki activated his omni tool, and said into it "Bring down Tang Shen to me". After the recipient on the other side of the call acknowledged, Yoshi could hear the footsteps, one floor above, a measure to help detect anyone intruding on his home, but of course, he did not count on a direct invasion.

Yoshi could hear two of Saki's Foot ninja bringing down Tang Shen the stairs, as she was struggling against their grips and protesting to let her go.

But all her protests stopped, once she laid eyes on Oroku Saki. With a shocked face, Shen angrily went "Why are you here, at our home, Saki? What is the reason for this insanity"?  
>Laughing coldly, which chilled both Yoshi and Shen, Saki replied "it's quite surprising, that you would call this", making an effort to look around to indicate the house, "'our home', considering that you are with your supposed husband, eh, Tang Shen"?<br>Her eyes widening, at that Saki knew about her marriage to Yoshi, Saki continued on, as he knelt down, looked at Shen and started to stroke her face with his right hand, making her and Yoshi uncomfortable at this gesture, "But, anyway, my love, I am here, to ensure that I take what is truly mine, for you to leave the vermin, Hamato Yoshi, and to be my wife".

Her face now with an angered and focused look, along with a glare that made Saki step back, she retaliated "Yoshi is not a vermin! He is my husband! The man I chose, to spend with me for the rest of my life, and he is the one who I truly love. How times do you have to be told that, Saki"?  
>Saki clenched his fists, growling, "Tang Shen, my love, I strongly urge you to reconsider your words".<br>"They are not words, Saki! They are the truth! Yoshi is ten times the man you are! And anyway, your jealously, your hatred and your greed, would not make you a better lover, husband, or a father".

A puzzled look was seen on Saki's face, as he repeated one word. "Father"?

Looking down onto her stomach, Saki's eyes narrowed, and Yoshi paled, as he saw the anger come all over Saki. Oroku Saki now knew that Tang Shen was with Yoshi's child.

Rushing forward, with an angry growling, it seemed that Saki, was consumed by rage entirely, and he striked Tang Shen across the face. Over and over again.

At the sounds of her cries and screams, Yoshi tried to lunge and intervene, but Nagi, near Yoshi, unsheathed his wakizashi and drew it near Yoshi's throat, as to indicate the message that was '_No sudden moves, Yoshi_'.

Saki continued to hit her, and Tang Shen was hurting from it all. This all made Yoshi more enraged, and more helpless, as he watched his beloved Tang Shen get hurt by his former friend.

Stopping, Oroku Saki, then turned to face Hamato Yoshi and shouted "Watch, as your beloved wrench, and her child die before your eyes, and you were helpless to save them. After all, you and Shen, made your decision, didn't you? So think back, as you watch". Laughing rather morbidly, Saki then continued on, and even Nagi moved his view to watch.

Soon, Yoshi felt that the Foot ninja holding his arms, were slackening their grip, and he took the opportunity to get free from their grips. Charging straight for Saki, he grabbed Saki's shinobi shōzoku, yanked him away from Tang Shen, and shoved him right into Nagi and the two Foot ninja. Immediately, all the other Foot ninja went into action, unsheathing their weapons.  
>Reaching for Nagi's wakizashi, he later withdrew his hand after receiving an electric shock.<p>

_It must have biometric security within the helt!_, thought Yoshi.

With this option not open to him, he instead decided to rely on his body as a weapon. Three foot ninja were charging for him, equipped with a Katana, a Yari, and a Chigiriki, and Yoshi knew that they all could do serious damage to him, if he was not careful. But his fear was elevated, once he saw that they were charging at him with recklessness and no thought into their attack, thus, when they came near, he ducked, avoiding a swipe of the katana at his head, and tripped up the first ninja. The second and the third, continuing on, as the second drew his Yari for a thrusting attack, whilst the third began spinning the Chigiriki in preparation for a strike.

_A bit impractical, considering that the room isn't the most spacious of rooms..._, Yoshi thought as he stood his ground.  
>Letting the second one come closer, he grabbed the end of the Yari and swung it around, and there was nothing he could do about it, as the man lost his grip on the Yari, and to add insult to injury, Yoshi tripped him up, the man sliding across the floor and then colliding into the walls, knocking him out.<p>

Holding the yari, Yoshi soon turned it around and readied for the ninja with the chigiriki to come. Watching the weight and chain spinning, Yoshi thrusted the rear end of the weapon towards the crutch of the ninja, and a cry of pain indicated a successful hit. With the ninja groaning in pain, on the floor, Yoshi soon found two more Foot ninja, with katanas, probably having watched their compatriots get knocked down by a man with no weapon. Upon Yoshi looking at them, in expectation of them wanting to fight, they instead dropped their katanas and ran away, through the fusuma.

_What a bunch of amateurs..._, thought Yoshi.

Looking at his wife, down on the floor, he rushed to her, and put his hands on her neck, and then her wrist, trying to feel for something that indicated that she was still alive. A groan came, and Tang Shen opened her eyes, to see Yoshi, who immediately wasted no time, helping her get up, as soon, Saki, Nagi and the two Foot ninja remaining, were getting up. Rushing for the stairs, and grabbing her hand, Yoshi and Shen went to the dojo, where there was a lot more room to maneuver than downstairs and his personal weapons were there.

Arriving in the dojo, Splinter, in his cage, was squeaking like mad and wildly moving from one place to the next.  
>Then, Yoshi directed Tang Shen to hide in his Washitsu.<p>

"But Yoshi, what about you"?  
>"I'll be fine, Tang Shen. Now go!"<p>

Rushing over to the Washitsu, she closed the door.

Looking around the room quickly, Yoshi then laid eyes on his own katana, and got it, after allowing the biometric security in the helt to read his handprint, which only took four seconds, and drew it, ready to take on Saki and whatever he threw at him.

And soon enough, he could hear their approach and stood ready.  
>Oroku Saki, accompanied by Oroku Nagi, had now about 4 Foot ninja, at his side. <em>Must have called for reinforcements<em>, thought Yoshi.  
>Saki, upon seeing Yoshi's katana, unsheathed his own, while Oroku Nagi unsheathed his wakizashi, and the rest of the Foot ninja, unsheathed katanas of their own.<p>

Charging, Nagi and the Foot ninja with him, attacked Yoshi, trying to jab, slice, thrust and hit him with every lesson learnt, via Kenjutsu.  
>But Yoshi, knew those lessons also, and was not a pushover with his katana, thus, the fight seemed to be in stalemate, despite him being outnumbered.<p>

But the stalemate ended, when Yoshi got close enough to Nagi, that he headbutted him and Yoshi fell to the floor, hard. The Foot ninja then prepared for the final blow, but Nagi intervened.  
>"Stop! Yoshi, is mine"!<p>

But Saki wasn't happy with this, and he butted himself into Nagi, arguing that he must be the one to finish Yoshi. But the bickering continued, until Yoshi leapt up, quickly slashed his katana on the four Foot ninja, blood spilling from their chests, throats and necks, killing them and kicked Nagi into the walls, knocking him out. And soon enough, Saki and Yoshi drew their blades against one another.

"Oroku Saki! Your jealously, hate and greed, have corrupted our friendship, corrupted my teachings, and y-y-you have brought dishonor upon the noble Foot Clan! Now you will pay for it all, old friend"!

Laughing coldly, Saki only responded with "Oh, is that so, old friend"?

Confused, Yoshi was then taken completely by surprise, when Oroku Saki thew a happō, right into his face, the metsubushi blinding him.

As Yoshi tried to regain his vision, Saki laughed, as he prepared to strike the final blow on his former friend, raising his katana and preparing to strike the final fatal blow.

"NOOO"!

Saki felt a vase, smashing on his Kabuto, and swung his katana at the person doing it, with the single minded focus on making that person pay for intervening.

But, to Saki's shock, it was Tang Shen, who had decided to intervene, and thus, paid the ultimate price in doing so.

"No..."

Rushing over, and ignoring Saki, Yoshi tried to check all over her, looking for anything, something to indicate her survival, but this time, he found none. With a slash across the chest, and the blood around that slash, Yoshi's mind was now full of blood rage and hate, for Oroku Saki. All the plans for the future, with Tang Shen and their child, all gone, because of one man's jealously and greed.  
>Screaming in rage, drawing his katana, Yoshi charged at Saki, who was too stunned and shocked to respond quickly, soon finding himself attempting to draw his katana in front of Yoshi, but was too slow.<p>

But then, a yell came, as Yoshi's katana made contact too early, on Oroku Nagi, who had regained consciousness, saw his elder brother in danger, and jumped ahead to save him.  
>Oroku Nagi's neck was slashed, blood spurting out, and both Yoshi and Saki knew that he was dead.<br>Saki, upon seeing his younger brother dead by his old friend's hand, snapped and began a series of furious swings at Yoshi,who immediately backed up, trying to avoid Saki's swipes, right towards Splinter's cage.

With every more ferocious hit that Saki kept at, Yoshi was starting to lose his strength, and now, with his defense wide open, Saki kicked Yoshi right towards Splinter's cage.

The cage fell down onto the floor, smashing and soon, the rat leapt to Saki's face, seemingly with the intelligence to know that his master was in need of help. Biting and clawing, Saki grunted and cried out in pain, attempting to get the rat off his face.

And in the process, he knocked over a table containing lit candles that illuminated the entire room. Hitting the carpet of the dojo as well as the walls, immediately, flames arose.

Soon, Saki grabbed ahold of the rat's tail, throwing it to the floor, and then swiped at it with his katana, intending to kill it, but only sliced his right ear. The rat squealed and screeched, running out of Saki's sight.  
>Saki, with an assortment of bit marks, scratches and clawing all over his face, refocused his attention on Yoshi, who was still on the ground, near his katana. Saki rushed over, just as Yoshi fumbled to grab the hilt of his katana, and performed the final blow to his neck, blood spurting out.<p>

Unlike with Nagi, the slash was not fatal, and Saki watched, with some satisfaction as Yoshi bled to death.

Then he got onto his omni-tool, calling the rest of his ninja outside the house, calling them to get some medical attention for him. They acknowledged, but before Saki could cut the call, he heard a big giant snap over his head. Debris fell and striked him on the Kabuto, cracking it and managing to knock him unconscious.

And soon, more debris from the house's crumbling roof, aflame, landed right on top of him, setting alight his shinobi shōzoku.  
>As the fire started spreading all over the house, Foot ninja, having heard the commotion, entered and searched for their master.<p>

By the time they saw him, and got him free, Oroku Saki was severely burnt, his shinobi shōzoku in tatters, and sustained damage all over his body. They then carried him out of the burning house, just in time before the house collapsed.

No one had bothered to notice, that a single brown rat named Splinter, with a missing right ear, had gotten out of the house and fled the scene.

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><p><strong>Well, that's the second Chapter of Turtles Arise done, and a more direct view on the story of Hamato Yoshi and the origin story.<strong>

**Update 8/4/14: Fixed up on a bit of grammar.**  
><strong>Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and see you next time.<strong>

**Edit (14/2/14): Fixed the chapter up, as well as grammar.**  
><strong>Edit (152/14): Cleaned up some mistake that I did in regards to grammar.  
>Edit (223/14): Fixed up a bit of grammar.  
>Edit (165/14): Urgh, fixed up another piece of grammar. Again.  
>Update (157/14): Urgh, yet another cleanup.**


	3. Prologue Part 3

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>Factory District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, the Widow System, Serpent Nebula.<br>December 11th, 2167_.

High within the traffic lanes of the Citadel, a lone skytruck cruised through with grace, despite looking to be a bit out of place amongst the smooth design of the X3M skycars that seemed to be everywhere on the traffic lanes.  
>But despite the skytruck's square and boxy appearance, it seemed to be keeping pace with them, and soon, as the skytruck approached a junction, it banked left, and then descended, to go into the direction of the factory district.<br>No one watching found it unusual. After all, skytrucks came and went from and to the factory district, to deliver goods, personnel and other stuff that could fit in the back.  
>Only that this trip down to the Factory District, was not going to be the average, run of the mill cargo delivery trip.<p>

_9 Minutes Later….._

Within an wide open space, big enough for a confidential deal to take place, 2 people, and 5 guards, armed with Elkoss Combine Avenger rifles, were awaiting the skytruck's arrival. But the waiting was seemingly grating on their nerves.  
>"Arrrghhh! What's taking them so long? I don't like waiting around"!<br>"Patience, man, those skytrucks arn't exactly very fast, if you haven't noticed. And we're very far away from TCRI".  
>"Doesn't mean I like to wait around. C-Sec could be here waiting to pounce on us"!<br>A laugh and then, "You haven't been on the Citadel long as I have, Francis. C-Sec isn't exactly as effective as people like to think. They don't even know who we truly are. Trust me, our boss has managed to get eyes and ears in C-Sec and if they sneeze, we'll know about it".

A sigh, and then, "Alright, Pat, if you say so. I'll take your word for it. But still, I'd like for them to just simply come in, deliver the goods, and then we get on our way".  
>Pat smirked, patting Francis' shoulder and went "Don't worry. Once the goods arrive, we'll just follow the plan given to us. You do know the plan, don't you"?<br>"Yes, basically we…."  
>A shocked look went across Pat's face and he shot his hand out to muffle Francis' mouth, silencing him. "Not a word further. Just confirm it. You do remember it, yes or no? We can't afford being overheard"!<br>A nod of the head later, and then, "But I thought you said that no one's here. And we swept the area for bugs, remember? If anyone put a listening device around, we'd find it, right"?  
>"Well, I rather not take chances, because if something goes wrong, people will go looking for someone to blame. And plus, we cannot afford to be clumsy. Those Salarians are very crafty in their intelligence devices, of course. They can of course, avoid our security sweeps. The boss knows that and the importance of secrecy. Secrecy is our shield! So, we cannot take any chances! I certainly do not want my head to be on a platter if things go wrong, and certainly you won't want to, too. You do know who our boss is, right"?<br>A gulp, and a nod of the head confirmed that, and Francis shut up after that, so it was nothing more than the tranquil sounds of skycars in the distance, distant machinery sounds at the District and the guards going over their weapons.

Then, the distinctive hum of a skytruck was heard, and both Pat and Francis looked up to see the skytruck from T.C.R.I. arrive, as it stopped in one place, and gracefully descended to land.

Hitting the ground, the driver's door opened, and soon, Pat asked him about the goods.

"In the back, ready".  
>Pat smiled and went "Excellent. Shall we get to it, then"?<br>A nod of the head, and the driver went to the back of the vehicle, where he soon faced it, reached for a biometric reader on the back door, which as soon as he swiped his thumb, it read his fingerprints, his genetic code, his respiratory system, his retina, and his brain neurons. Confirming he was the authenticated person, the door unlocked, and slid upwards.

The driver stood back, and swept his arm to present the goods. 9 sliver cylinder canisters, with a lime green substance with glowing green-yellow coloration in it. On the canisters, was the bold letters of **T.C.R.I.**, reading vertically down alongside the canister.  
>But also, there was a glass bowl of a dust-form substance, which he knew it to be element zero, amongst the canisters, and more importantly, a glass jar containing 4 baby turtles.<br>Even though looking very similar to one another, they all had different sizes, and had different shades of color. One was dark green, one was forest green, the biggest one, was Brownish green and the smallest one, was dark lime green.

Confirming, that the goods were in good order, Pat then beckoned Francis along and told him to get a trolley to carry the canisters, while Pat himself, took the glass bowl and the glass jar to carry.

As Francis went to get the trolley, Pat then got the bowl and the jar in his hands, and slung them under his arm pits.  
>And soon, he waited, trapping his right foot on the floor constantly, as Francis ran over to the trolley, got and rushed over to the truck as quickly as he could. Getting the canisters, he laid them all out onto the trolley, all standing on their bases, so that they wouldn't roll about. And soon, with them secure, Francis moved out with the trolley, to divide the canisters into separate skycars.<p>

But then, a skycar rushed in and landed. The guards readied their rifles, as four, very identical in every way, male humans, dressed in business suits, emerged from the skycar. Standing upright, they then spoke.

"Kraang, are those who are those who stole the mutagen the ones right in front of Kraang"?  
>"I have no knowledge of that Kraang. I will inquire to Kraang".<p>

As those who called themselves the Kraang continued on, the guards, looked at one another in puzzlement at the manner of how they spoke. Pat, however, spoke to Francis, "when I say run, run".  
>Francis, shocked, opened his mouth, but Pat shouted to the guards to open fire.<p>

Pointing their Avenger rifles at the Kraang, the guards opened fire.

However, all their fire did, was to put holes in the suits, and their faces, which soon revealed metal underneaf the skin, which, for all purposes, seemed to be a disguise. And they all seemed to be squirting out a blue gooey fluid that did not seem like blood of any kind. The rounds kept on going, even as the Kraang revealed assault rifles of their own, which were much more bulkier than the Avenger rifles that were firing on them. Aiming them, they powered up, revealing a pink glow where the barrel should be, and then they fired back.

"Run!"

As they started running for their own skycars, Pat noticed that the Kraang's rifles were firing _lasers_. _Lasers_! Despite what people thought, the Citadel races and others had not perfected laser weaponry for infantry weaponry, well, apart from the Geth, who were the only ones whose weaponry was close enough to be called lasers.  
>The Kraang's laser shots, glowed pink. And as they hit one of the guards, he soon was knocked back by the multiple amount of shots hitting him in the chest, and he dropped dead to the floor. He didn't have shields, so it wasn't exactly surprising to anyone that it was that easy. A scream from behind him was shouted. <em>The driver, most likely<em>, thought Pat.  
>And as they continued running, more and more shouting and screaming was heard.<p>

However, Pat's thoughts were interrupted by another skycar, that hovered and landed right in front of one of the routes to their skycars. Stopping, Pat and Francis watched as four Kraang got out, produced their rifles and pointed it at them.

"The ones who are not Kraang and are running away must halt. Halt!"  
>"Give back what is known as the mutagen back to Kraang".<p>

Pat then closed his eyes, as he knew that he was not going to be leaving here alive, and soon, the scattering of feet from behind and the charging up of lasers proved his point. _All the guards must have been eliminated by now_, was all that was in Pat's thoughts by now. And then he opened his eyes and smirked, "If you want this mutagen, then come and get it".  
>Throwing the glass jar containing the turtles, he produced a Kassa Fabrication Razer pistol from a hidden holster within his jacket, pointed it at the Kraang, and pulled the trigger multiple times, managing to score a few hits, before the Kraang unleashed their weapons onto him. His last thoughts were that he heard the glass jar smashing, and that the glass bowl containing the eezo, was flung from his left arm.<br>He was dead before he even hit the floor.

Meanwhile, Francis, having watched this unfold before his eyes, was numbed by the fact that Pat, a man who he had barely knew, had only said his name was Pat (for he knew, it probably wasn't), and had sometimes been a total jerk towards him, was killed. And now, it seemed that he was the last one, it seemed, out of him, Pat, and the 5 guards, whom he presumed were dead.

"Kraang, check the one who had the glass jar and the glass bowl, and tell Kraang of the status of the one who had the glass jar and the glass bowl".

A lone Kraang, with rifle pointed at the body of Pat, soon approached and poked the rifle at the body for a few moments, before then confirming.  
><em>"<em>Kraang, the one with the glass jar and the glass bowl, is now eliminated"_.  
><em>Then all of the eight Kraang present, turned their heads towards him, pointed their rifles at him and advanced.

"The one with the mutagen, must stop running and surrender immediately to Kraang".

But soon, Francis saw the canister of that mysterious green-yellow substance, and reckoned that, that canister and the others like it, were the whole reason that Pat and those five guards died. That substance is the whole reason these Kraang were here.

He quickly grabbed the nearest canister, and readied himself, to throw it right at the Kraang, hoping that it'd do something, anything.

And it seemed that the Kraang knew what the substance did, and it was certainly not good, for they stopped and started slowly backing off.

Taking an aim for the center Kraang, Francis reared his arm back, and with all his might and strength, threw the canister at it.

But the canister had been thrown too high, and soon, the Kraang and Francis watched, as the canister went over the head of the Kraang, and went straight for the area, where the glass jar and the glass bowl had smashed.

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><p><strong>Wow, now that is the hardest chapter to date, that I have done so far.<strong>

**Now, don't forget to leave a review, and see you next time.**

**Update 24/2/14: Changed the date due to a mistake that I realized.**

**Update 25/2/14: Urgh, I'm really terrible at doing dates. Changed back to January, then back to December, and that the update was listed as being in January? Oh dear...**  
><strong>But anyways, this reasoning is all because I wanted the Turtles to be of a certain age by the beginning of 2183. And anyway, the reason for choosing December the 11th, is a tribute to the first episode of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 cartoon, if anyone's not catched that reference yet. And now I'll get back to work onto the next chapter.<strong>

**Update 8/4/14: Fixed up grammar and improved on some bits.**


	4. Prologue Part 4

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

**Well, now, a new chapter and quite frankly, this was the hardest and mind-draining one to do so far yet.**

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><p><em>The sewers of the Factory District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, the Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>December 11th 2167<em>.

Splinter, sometimes, could not believe that he was on the Citadel.

After escaping from Hamato Yoshi's burning home, he wondered all over Japan, not really knowing where he was going, until he stumbled across a spaceport and somehow got onto a ship, which had travelled to here, the Citadel.  
>Splinter had taken shelter within the sewers, which had now become his home.<br>And what a quiet and lonely existence that he was now enduring...

And today, he was out scavenging for food. The limit of enduring his hunger had reached it's end and now he was searching for something, anything he could live on.  
>But sometimes, he did just wonder why he should carry on, for his master was dead, the one person who had given a home, happiness, and most of all, a sense of belonging, in a family. Splinter, at times, felt that he should just let something happen to him and that'd be the end of his suffering.<br>_No_.  
>He pushed those thoughts out of his head, as he had done several times before. He remembered one vital lesson that he heard his Master Yoshi recite once to him, whilst he was giving Splinter something to eat, whilst back in Japan.<p>

'_Even when times are toughest, my dear Splinter, you must never give into despair, for if you do, despair will win..._'_  
><em>  
>A smash of glass interrupted his thoughts, and he rushed to the scene, where soon, he saw an overhead grill and then, four baby turtles dropping from it.<br>Closing up on them, he noticed, that apart from their different sizes and their different skin shades, the smallest turtle had completely covered himself in a dust form substance, whilst the others had a bit there and there. And further more, he heard shouts from up above, on the surface, and as he moved under the grill, to get a closer look, a round cylinder object smashed right on top of the grill and immediately dropped down a lime green substance, that glowed greenish-yellow. Right on top of Splinter and the four turtles.

As soon as it hit them, Splinter immediately felt concern for the turtles, and set about getting them out of the way, and looked around for something to take the turtles with him. And then suddenly, he could hear gunfire up above, and a scream of someone being hit by that gunfire, then it all went quiet.  
>Then spotting a coffee can, he rushed over, dragged it along and started picking up the turtles one by one, putting them into a coffee can. But before he put the smallest turtle in, Splinter noticed the turtle shaking off the dust substance as well as some of the glowing substance. And when that was done, Splinter picked him up by his shell and gently put him into the coffee can.<p>

As Splinter put the last one into the coffee can, he noticed that he was still exposed to a lot of it all over him and tried flicking it off him. But he immediately refocused his attention onto the turtles, who were still in the coffee can. Grabbing the top, Splinter tried dragging it along, but then thought of a much quicker way of moving the can. Moving to the side of the can, he started pushing it, this effectively rolling it along wherever Splinter wanted it to go.

After several moments, rolling the can down, he managed to find his hiding spot, which wasn't really much, just a bunch of blankets and towels that Splinter had scavenged and made into a makeshift bed.

Resting the coffee can, he immediately set about getting the turtles out, but before he could do so, Splinter felt antagonizing pain, all over his body and muscles. And also, he was getting a headache, a very big one. Which he put his hands on his head, as he felt the pain go right all over him, but then all thoughts stopped, as he blacked out from the excessive pain he was under and collapsed on the floor.

_4 minutes later..._

A slight tapping on his nose was what Splinter first registered, as he was slowly waking from his unconsciousness. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

Focusing through the blur, he managed to see much more clearly at the blurry figures in front of him, and soon, gasped in surprise, as he laid eyes, on the turtles, who had doubled in size! Moving backwards, Splinter noticed that something was different about him, and he laid eyes on his hands, which had become much larger than before, and his snout was much longer and bigger. Even more disturbing to him, was that he noticed that his body had changed so much, that when he moved backwards, he walked upright on his "rear legs", something that he did not do before, for he was certain that rats did not walk like humans.

Then a conclusion came quickly to him, _That glowing substance has changed me and these turtles_!

It all made sense now. It had affected him and the turtles, all changing him into what Splinter could determine to be, human traits.

Looking at the turtles, who were all looking up at him, Splinter was surprised even further, when the forest green turtle opened his mouth and actually started to speak.  
>His voice was fragmented, like a human infant attempting to speak for the first time, and it did require several tries from the turtle, sometimes being completely unintelligible, but Splinter could make out what he was saying.<br>"Ssppp...llllllliiiiinnnnn...ta".

Splinter was shocked. They had actually spoken his name! But the more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was probably the first thing that came in his head to say, rather than any knowledge of his name, for he did not wear a collar displaying a name tag on him. Everything nowadays was all done on electronics, omni-tools and implants, rather than those supposedly cumbersome collars.  
>But the shock was still on Splinter's face, nonetheless, and suddenly he found himself speaking. "Yyyyyyy...essss...sssssssssss".<br>And now he had the ability to speak!  
>Closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths, he then opened his eyes and continued, now much more clearly, to his complete surprise. "My name, is Splinter".<p>

_10 minutes later..._

Only 10 minutes had passed, and what a day for Splinter and his new turtle companions!

He took them alongside him as he went through the sewers to search for food, as he was exceedingly hungry, and judging from their crying out, they were too. And a few new things he learned about the turtles, as a result of the exposure to the glowing substance. They had three fingers on their hands, two toes on their feet, small nostrils that were not noticeable unless you got close and all of their eyes, were baby blue, well except for the dark green turtle, who had dark blue eyes.  
>After having searched for any food and found nothing, they came approaching another grill, with a lot of noise coming from people up above, on the surface.<p>

Splinter frowned. He couldn't risk him or the turtles with him, by revealing themselves to the "surface world".

But then, suddenly, something dropped down the grill.  
>A cup of noodles, along with a pair of waribashi landed with a thud, and the contents spilled in front of them. Splinter could hear, up top, a conversation of someone who was probably dissatisfied with the choice of his food, and this had resulted in that person disposing of the noodles down the grill into the sewers.<p>

"Oh come on! That's such a waste of good food, Grigori"!  
>"Good food? Good food? Urgh, darn thing's disgusting, Kurt! Urgh, I need a coffee..."<p>

Refocusing back on the noodles, he and the turtles quickly set about getting the noodles out of sight from the grill, so no one would see them. One might think why would anyone bother looking, but Splinter could not take chances. Rushing forward, he shoveled the noodles back into the cup, grabbed it and took it along, the Turtles fast behind him.

_Back at Splinter's hiding spot_

Dumping the noodles, the Turtles immediately went for the noodles, with the dark lime green one and the forest green one beginning to fight over one another, until Splinter put a stop to it, by separating the two apart, and giving them a share of the noodles, while the brownish green turtle settled for his own part of the share, quietly eating it, peacefully on his own.  
>Splinter seemed content to watch them eat, allowing them to have it, and then he'd eat the leftovers.<p>

However, the dark green turtle, had gotten out a bunch of noodles, and carried it in his arms. Facing Splinter, dark blue eyes made eye contact with Splinter's brown eyes, and soon, the dark green turtle split his load in half, dropping one side right next to him, and when that was done, he held out the rest, in his three fingered hands, in front of him, to Splinter.  
>Splinter was shocked yet again, at the fact that this turtle, had given him a share. What such kindness, this turtle processed, despite being in what Splinter presumed to be, an infant stage. Smiling at the turtle, another shock came, as the turtle managed to smile back at him.<br>Then Splinter took the noodles held out in front of him, and after picking up the waribashi, remembered how his master Yoshi had used chopsticks back in Japan.  
>The lower stick resting on the thumb, between the pinky finger and the middle finger, for he only had three fingers and a thumb, and then the second stick held by the tips of the thumb, index finger and middle finger.<br>Although, it was tricky, getting used to it, as he dropped the sticks several times, but eventually, he did it, and began to eat his share of the noodles. But it was a lot harder than it looked and like handling the waribashi, it took him a while to get the right manipulation of the noodles.  
>Then, as he ate his noodles, Splinter noticed the Turtles having finished eating, and all four of them now close to him. But the dark green turtle, whilst eating his noodles, was also intensively watching Splinter. It was the same look that many students of his master had given to Yoshi, whilst under his training, carefully watching his every move. And this turtle had the same look, like a student under his sensei.<p>

And Splinter looked at his situation now, with much brighter hope for the future, for he had been in despair about the state of his lonely life, until that mysterious glowing substance, had come and changed his and these turtles' lives. And he came to the realization, that with him and these turtles in the same predicament, Splinter was not lonely anymore. For his new companions...

No. He banished that thought quickly and reckoned that, with them as infants, he could raise them, as his own sons. Raise them as a family that Splinter had once had, but now could start anew.

Things now seemed brighter for Splinter and his new family.

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><p><strong>So, now, that's the prologue done! And we can get onto the story itself.<strong>

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review, and see you next time.**

**Update 8/4/14: Fixed up grammar, and added a little clue about what happened to Francis, the guy who threw the canister in the previous chapter.**


	5. Extinguishing the Flame

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>The Keeper Tunnels under Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, the Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 4th, 2183<em>.

The room was dark, with the only illumination being a single lit candle within the center of the room, being held by a 4'4" tall brown rat, with a missing part of his right ear, yellow-brown eyes, dark brown and maroon robes, and finally, a walking stick in his right hand, whilst his left hand carried the candle.

Walking and then sitting down into the Seiza position, Splinter then addressed his 4 sons, who he knew to be in the darkness.

"As I told you countless times before, true ninja become one with the shadows. Darkness gives the ninja the chance to strike their enemies hard, and fade away, whilst the light reveals their presence. In this task, you are to extinguish this candle in my hand. Extra points are for not revealing yourselves. And every time you fail an attempt, I will produce more candles for you to extinguish. 30 seconds from now, you shall start. **Hajime!**"

And with that, Splinter closed his eyes, relying on his heightened senses to tell him of what was going on. 30 seconds and surprisingly, no action already. Michelangelo must have managed to exercise some patience or he was preparing for something dramatic.

Splinter heard his youngest son, running across the wide space of the room, his heightened senses picking the increase in delays between Michelangelo's feet landing on the floor. And then, it all became silent, and Splinter did not think that Michelangelo would run, just to stop, because it wasn't his style. Splinter then, could _feel_ disturbances in the air, hinting that Michelangelo had leapt into the air, reminiscent of the high jumpers of the old Olympics, but Michelangelo wasn't jumping over a horizontal bar, for one thing. As soon as he jumped, Splinter could hear the hum of biotics in play, and a press of a button, with the unsheathing of a blade from one of Michelangelo's nunchakus. All this, told Splinter, that he was going to use biotics to biotically throw the kusarigama blade towards the candle. And judging from the rapid air disturbances, undoubtably caused by a blade slicing through the air, Michelangelo was going to exactly do just that.

But unfortunately for Michelangelo, the momentum of the biotic push on the kusarigama blade was too great, and as he was holding on the opposite end too tightly, he found himself being pulled along with it. Away from the candle and onto the opposite side of the room. Then came the loud clanking of the nunchaku and kusarigama hitting the floor, and Michelangelo yelling "owwww!"

Splinter grinned, and even without opening his eyes or facing him, addressed his youngest son "Too noisy, and too clumsily, Michelangelo". Putting down his walking stick, then getting out another candle from his pocket and lighting it, Splinter continued "Do it again, but this time, with two candles to extinguish. 50 seconds from now. **Hajime!**"

A groan and a protest ("Awww, come on!") later, Splinter held the two candles in each of his hands, awaiting the next try.

But Michelangelo, or Mikey, which had become his pet name amongst his brothers, was for the first time, thinking the situation through.

'_Come on, Mikey! Focus! You got to get those candles down! If you don't, Sensei, Leo, Donnie and Raph will never let you live it down!_'.

But then, as he nervously fumbled around his belt, containing his shuriken and happō, an empathy came to him, from when he was first taught the happō by Splinter, in which that, apart from being helpful in providing an escape by throwing it into the eyes of an attacker, it was very loud, and hence, it was also used as a distraction.  
>Yes, he could throw it to Splinter's right hand side, distracting him, whilst he'd use Charge and knock the candles out of Splinter's hands, and then extinguish them.<br>_Ah, yeah! Victory, here I come!_  
>Grabbing a happo from his belt, Mikey carefully walked to what Donnie would refer as Splinter's 10 o clock, whatever that was, and chucked the happō towards Splinter's right hand side, and with the happō flying in mid air, Mikey started harnessing the eezo nodules required for a half powered charge, for Donnie had warned him that due to the biotic amps being second hand, and not perfected, despite Donnie's best efforts, the amps could only last for 5 minutes of sustained action, and had to cool down and recharge for an extensive amount of time. Thus, they would overload sometimes, which had happened in the past, due to Mikey wasting full powered biotic moves that drained the amps constantly, much to Donnie's frustration.<br>With the required eezo nodules charged up, Mikey then ran into a sprint, and as soon as the happō hit the ground, exploding, Mikey leapt and triggered the nodules, feeling the familiar sensation of being catapulted. But due to the half powered nature of the move, that sensation was quickly gone, and he was now aware that if he made contact with the ground, he'd risked crashing onto the floor, as he had done multiple times, much to Mikey's displeasure.  
>So Mikey started getting his legs moving into a run, in order to not crash onto the floor.<p>

Splinter's attention had been caught by the happo, providing the distraction that Mikey needed, and when close enough, Mikey swiped the candles out of Splinter's hands, grabbing them.  
>His feet hitting the floor, Mikey's balance suddenly started to go from side to side, effectively making him wobble, before he fell to the floor with a crash and slid across on his plastrons, giving him a bit of an uncomfortable slide as always. But as he came to a stop, he blew out the candles.<p>

Splinter was slightly impressed by his youngest son's successful try but felt he could improve on it a bit more as he addressed Michelangelo "Hmmmmmmmm, well done Michelangelo. I did not anticipate you using the happō in your try, and that unpredictability is one aspect of ninjutsu that makes the ninja deadly to his enemies. But you could still better improve on how you got the candles, my son. You were still too noisy, but you managed to extinguish the candles. That is all, Michelangelo".

Getting up, brushing off his plastrons, Michelangelo twisted and turned his limbs around, and when passing Splinter to leave the room, handed back the candles into Splinter's waiting right hand, and exited the room.

Putting the second candle back into his pocket, Splinter relit the first one, held it in his right hand and called out to the next one.

"30 seconds from now, you shall start. **Hajime!**"

As Splinter closed his eyes, a second turtle, hiding behind a pillar up at the far end, peaked out, analyzing the room before him, and remembering the exact angles and calculations needed, took out three shuriken from his belt, and threw them in quick succession.  
>Bouncing off the walls, having followed the angles accordingly, they all striked one target. The candle, which the wax stood no chance whatsoever, as the 2 shuriken sliced right through it, and the 3rd shuriken cutting right through the wick. This effectively, extinguished the candle.<p>

Still without opening his eyes, Splinter addressed his third eldest son, knowing perfectly well who it was, due to that, only one of his sons could have performed such a feat.  
>"Well done, Donatello. Your skillful use of the shuriken proves that one of the ninja's greatest weapons, is not the tools of the trade, or his body, but his mind. And your mind, my son, is gifted".<br>After stuttering a thanks, Donatello, or Donnie (as he was affectionally called by his brothers), jumped down from the pillar gracefully and left the room.

Producing another candle from his pocket, Splinter lit it, and spoke to the next turtle.  
>"30 seconds from now, you shall start. <strong>Hajime!<strong>"

As soon as the 30 seconds ended, the third turtle, immediately leapt out from the shadows, a sai in each hand, but Splinter quickly moved out of his way.  
>Twirling his sais in each hand, and with the single minded focus of extinguishing the candle, he immediately charged right for it. But Splinter, got his walking stick off the floor, and used it to trip him up.<p>

As the third turtle hit the floor and groaned, Splinter chuckled silently, and then addressed his second eldest son, knowing immediately who it was, "Too obvious of you, Raphael. Your anger makes you too predictable".  
>Sighing, he dropped his walking stick, produced a candle in his left hand and used the right candle to light it.<br>Looking up, Raphael, or yours truly, Raph, laid eyes on both candles, and getting up, he immediately growled "oh yeah"?  
>Quickly turning around, he started to slash for the candles, only to find that Splinter was relentless in avoiding Raph's sais.<br>And then, to add further insult to injury, Splinter swiped his right leg at Raphael's legs, soon causing him to crash down onto the floor. Hard.

While Raphael groaned at yet, another trashing, at the hands of his master, Splinter addressed him "A poor choice, Raphael".

But Raph, clearly not wasting anytime with words, glanced at both candles, and threw both sais at them. Before Splinter had a chance to move them away, the sais knocked them out of his hands and thrown them to the far side of the room. The sais, upon knocking the candles, hit the floor.  
>Raph, grinning, immediately got up and went into a sprint, picking up his sais off the floor whilst on the way, intending on reaching them and blowing the candles out. But Splinter, had other ideas, as he immediately leapt with great strength, towards the candles.<br>Upon seeing this, Raph's grin slowly vanished, knowing that his sensei's leaping was nothing to laugh about.  
>"Oh no you don't!"<p>

It had now become a race of sorts, and as Splinter landed near it, Raph jumped and slid across the floor on his scraped and battered plastrons, the momentum from his running propelling him towards the candles.  
>And that momentum had enabled him to reach the candles, Raph getting his sais and swiped them at the candles, cutting them and extinguishing their flames.<p>

Splinter addressed Raphael "Hmmmmmm, you did manage to extinguish the flames, but I suggest you try and improve on your performance, Raphael. And more so, I urge you to get that temper of yours under control, or it will control you. That is all, Raphael".

Raphael was now infuriated that he did not get a well done "But sensei..."  
>"That, is all, Raphael!"<br>After a big sigh, "Hai, Sensei".  
>With Raphael leaving the room, Splinter was lucky that he was keeping that temper of his under check, at least, for the time being. His second eldest son, even though the strongest, alway was impulsive, rebellious and more sullen than the rest of his brothers. He always seemed to be latching onto the anger within him, and using it, without letting go and without regards of the consequences. Splinter worried sometimes, that Raphael's anger and hot headed temper, would be the death of him, and his brothers, especially Leonardo.<p>

Speaking of which, he got another candle from his pocket, walked back to the center of the room, lit it and addressed his eldest son.

"30 seconds from now, you shall start, Leonardo. **Hajime!**"

Unknownst to Splinter, Leo was stealthily approaching his sensei from behind, careful to not make any noise that his sensei's heightened senses would pick up, having sneaked up into position ever since Raph had done his turn. And as soon as the 30 seconds were over, Leonardo, was now in the right position to make his move, for he was directly, right behind Splinter, who was expecting Leonardo to be climbing on the ceiling, or on the walls, then leaping out and using his ninjato to slice the candle. But not this time.

This time, he just simply pulled his face closer to the candle, and blew out the flame.  
>Then he sprinted, as fast as he could, to one of the pillars, without making any noise and hid behind it.<p>

With the flame out, Splinter (surprised at this maneuver by Leonardo), got his omni tool out, and pressed buttons, switching on the lighting in the room. Even though brightening the entire room, the lights did not reveal Leonardo's presence, and Splinter, was equally as impressed, that Leonardo had managed to hide himself from view.

Even though not knowing where he was, Splinter addressed his eldest son with a simple "Well done, Leonardo".

Walking out into Splinter's view, Leonardo faced his sensei and bowed to him in acknowledgement of his compliment.  
>Splinter went, "Now, let us go rejoin the rest of your brothers, Leonardo".<br>Still remaining silent, despite Leo's further apprehension at what Splinter would do next, he followed his sensei out of the room and into the Keeper tunnels, where a lone Keeper strolled by, to tend to something far away, not paying an anthropomorphic rat and four anthropomorphic turtles any mind at all, not that this was a big surprise. Keepers never paid anyone any mind, no matter how strange or complexing they were.

Donnie had his omni-tool out, displaying a screen, showing the view of a camera that he had installed in the room a long time ago. And both Raph and Mikey were clearly watching, over Donnie's shoulders.

And whatever conversation was going on between them, ended with Splinter and Leo's arrival.  
>Raph had an angry scowl on his face, and it got deeper, when he laid eyes on Leo.<br>Looking at the anger on his face, Splinter sternly addressed his second eldest "Whatever is the matter with you can wait, Raphael..."  
>But this warning fell on deaf ears as a snarl came out of Raphael's mouth "Teacher's pet..."<br>Splinter, despite all the years of dealing with Raphael's anger and temper, was still shocked by the venom behind Raphael's remark, and the bluntness of his second eldest son. But before he could get anymore words out, Leo, just as bluntly, had a retort of his own.  
>"Raph, it's not my fault you can't hit even one candle with your sais, when clearly, I didn't even need my ninjato. And more so, I'm better at ninjutsu, than you, anyway".<br>A chilling laugh later and "Oh yeah? You know something, big brother? One of these days, I'm going to settle once and for all, who is strongest. Me or you. One on one".  
>"Really"?<br>"Really".  
>With tensions rising, Splinter needed to step in and put a stop to this. It was clearly getting out of control, so he shouted, with such authority to make all his sons flinch, "ENOUGH"!<br>To show his authority, he striked his walking stick on Raphael's head and on Leonardo's head as well. Donatello and Michelangelo tried to suppress their sniggers, but failed, as Splinter glared at them, so much that they shrank away, nervously looking away from his glare.  
>Sighing, Splinter turned his attention onto Leonardo and addressed him sternly "Leonardo, I expected much more self-control, and I expect you to exercise it in future, if you want to keep leading your brothers. You should know better than to keep rising to Raphael's baiting". Leo attempted to speak, but Splinter turned his attention onto Raph.<br>"And Raphael, your petty insults are not making Leonardo's burden as the leader any better. The position of being a leader is not meant to be easy, there are of course, challenges in taking the role of a leader, but you are not helping in anyway. You are supposed to help your brother through his challenges, not cut yourself from him". Turning his attention onto Donatello and Michelangelo, he said simply "And that goes also, for you two".  
>And addressing both Leo and Raph, Splinter continued "So resolve your dispute with each other, apologize to one another and you'd better mean it. I do not have to keep explaining myself to the both of you! Is that understood"?<br>Both brothers responded with a quiet, "Hai Sensei".  
>"IS THAT UNDERSTOOD"?<br>"HAI SENSEI"!  
>"Good. Now, my sons, let us return home and conclude the trials".<p>

Donnie and Mikey, breathed a silent breath of relief at the conclusion of that argument. Even though the arguments between Leo and Raph, were at first, a brother rivalry, and a matter of both brothers being able to get under each other's skins very easily, it got even worse, when Leo was appointed the leader over Raph, and Raph would find ways to undermine his elder brother's leadership. Sometimes, he'd question every decision Leo does, be complaining about something that'd grant on Leo's nerves, purposely fail in training, so to make Leo look bad, or mostly, directly going off to do his own way, for which, Raph was more straightforward in solutions to problems.

And as the lone Keeper in the tunnel went to work, by the small terminal in the tunnel, unfazed and not distracted by the argument that had been going on, Splinter wasted no time, as he led the way back home, 4 teenage mutant ninja turtles right behind him.

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><p><strong>Thew...<br>Man, definitely one of the hardest chapters so far. Being working on this chapter, all week. So sorry for the delay everyone.**

**Well, anyways, don't forget to leave a review and see you next time.**

**Update (14/3/14): Just doing a bit of cleaning up on grammar.**  
><strong>Update (223/14): Fixed up a bit of grammar.  
>Update (14/2014): Added a bit more detail to Splinter's height.**


	6. Concluding the Trials

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect does not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>"The Lair", the Sewers under Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 4th, 2183<em>.

Now, back at the lair, Splinter, and his four sons were within the area of space that they called the dojo, appropriately named so, due to the decoration and the wide open space allowing for small-scale training, sparring and katas.

Splinter, now looked on his four sons, kneeling on their knees, in front of him. Even though they all had the same colored bandana, a bright red, Splinter could pick out his sons judging from their behavior, the way they carried themselves, and of course, their unique physical traits and their standard weapons, that made them stand out from one another.  
>And so he observed them in turn.<p>

His eldest son, Leonardo, carried two ninjato, slung in two sheaths across his shell, most particularly the carapace, with the sheaths being held by straps that connected to his belt, which, like the rest of his brothers, contained, courtesy of Donatello's knowhow, 4 shuriken and 4 happō. Having dark green skin, giving him a darker shade of green than the rest of his brothers, he also had dark blue eyes, his wrist and feet wraps were khaki brown, and most of all, he had a brawny physique and was 5'2" tall.  
>Leonardo was a very hard person to read, to those who didn't know him, and not because of that. Leonardo had a mixed sort of personality. On one side, was his "inner" teenage side, whilst another side, contained a serious, focused and disciplined side, along with patience, compassion, kindness and humility, traits of which were key to Splinter's decision to choose him as the one to lead his brothers. But at times, Splinter did find that Leonardo could be very hard on himself, something which Splinter felt, could hinder his leadership quantities and increase the burden on Leonardo's shoulders.<p>

Turning to his second eldest son, Raphael was much more muscular than his brothers, his entire shell (the plastrons and carapace) had scrapes, cuts and chipping all over it, giving his shell a very worn, battered appearance. He also had cuts of various lengths on his chin and on his beak, near his nostrils. In addition to that, his wrist and feet wraps were colored dark brown, he had emerald green eyes, and last but not least, his skin was a forest green color. His two sais were slung on his belt. And like Leonardo, he was 5'2" tall.  
>But whilst Leonardo was serious and focused, Raphael's personality was, well, <em>volatile<em> was putting it a bit mildly. Unpredictable seemed to be the closest word to describe it.  
>He was not very open to sharing his feelings towards his brothers, all because Raphael did not want to look 'soft' in front of them. But he was capable of sharing his inner thoughts and feelings to Splinter, but it would involve a lot of effort to do so, and Raphael would only do it, if he was absolutely certain that his brothers were not listening in.<br>However, he was still capable of socializing with his brothers, most particularly, Michelangelo. Splinter knew that Raphael had a soft spot for his youngest brother, like all his brothers did, but he did his utmost to hide it from the others.

Now onto Donatello, the third eldest, the most tallest (standing at around 6'1" tall) and leanest of his sons. He had diastema, leaving him a gap between his front teeth and giving him the appearance of what his brothers called, "a geek", a term further helped by Donatello's intelligence, know-how and encyclopedic knowledge of the world around him or any certain subject.  
>His skin was a brownish green, he had chocolate brown eyes, and his wrist and feet wraps were chestnut brown. And he had a sheath slung across his carapace, with the sheath held by straps that connected to the belt.<br>And even though intelligent, Donatello also was very short tempered and high-strung, usually letting his over-thinking, frustration, and anger get in the way, but, he did possess a very kind, caring heart.  
>And despite his love for 'tinkering', Donatello was still just as capable as learning ninjutsu, and being a ninja.<p>

And finally, the youngest of his sons, and the shortest (standing at around 4'8" tall). Michelangelo, who possessed a "child-like" innocence, was the most light-hearted and the most playful of his brothers. Even though his maturity did vary from time to time, Michelangelo always brought his best game into the fight, and Splinter hope that it'd continue to be the case when it would be time to face their foes in a real fight.  
>More athletic and the fastest of his brothers, Michelangelo was the only biotic, despite being hampered by second hand biotic amps that Donatello had modified for him, and Splinter's lack of knowledge regarding biotic abilities, Splinter did manage and did his best to help Michelangelo, with Donatello's help, to teach him how to control his biotic abilities.<br>And hence, there was, at least, another positive to come out of this, for Michelangelo and Donatello, despite being completely polar opposites in personality, they had a very strong brotherly bond, despite being at loggerheads with each other sometimes. And whilst Donatello would be overthinking, Michelangelo was capable of 'going with the flow' and he was able to 'fight without thinking', which combined with agility, unpredictability and his biotic abilities, would make him a very unstoppable force in future.  
>Michelangelo possessed, on his child-like face, freckles and baby blue eyes, whilst also, he had dark lime green skin, both his wrist and feet wraps were colored light brown and his nunchaku were held in two custom made holsters over his belt.<p>

Now, it was time to conclude the trials. The trials, which had started the day after their 15th 'mutation day', would soon be finished, for his sons have passed the grueling tests and proven themselves worthy, of the title of ninja.  
>And for that, it would be time to give them, all something for their hard work.<p>

Splinter addressed them all, as they awaited patiently and looked upon him, "My students. My sons. Your trials are complete. All the hard work that you have accomplished, has been leading up to this moment, which you have proven yourselves worthy of the title of ninja".  
>Then, Michelangelo put his hand up, and Splinter turned to address him.<br>"What is it, Michelangelo"?  
>"So are you saying, that we're officially ninjas"?<br>Silence, and then came, "Yes".  
>Cheering and rejoice came from Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael, but Leonardo stayed silent, for he knew otherwise, if Splinter's smirk was any indication.<br>And Splinter's next response proved him right.  
>"And no".<br>All the three celebrating, then groaned heavily, with Raphael stating "I hate it when he does that"!

Splinter chuckled and continued "My sons! Even though you have completed the trials, a true ninja never stops his training, if he is to remain sharp at all times. And remember this, my sons. No matter how good you are, no matter how old or wise you become, no one ever stops learning. So, you must never lapse.  
>And now my sons, I am going to give you all something for your hard work, a mark to remind you of this day".<p>

Moving to his room, Splinter could hear his sons' hushed conversation, starting with Michelangelo talking to Raphael.  
>"Sweet! I bet we're going to get initials on belt buckles to put on our belts, like super heroes"!<br>A snort later and, "You would".

Drowning out his sons' conversation, Splinter opened the fusuma, going in, and picked up a tray, containing four bandanas, all with four different colors.  
>Taking the tray with him, out into the dojo, Splinter then spoke "The reward for your hard work, are new extensions of yourselves. New bandanas, all with a significant color to the way you are".<p>

Turning to Leonardo, he addressed him and picked up the blue bandana.  
>"Leonardo, the color of blue represents faithfulness and confidence, traits of which I found within you, my son, for you possess a staunch devotion to ninjutsu, loyalty, steadiness, reliability, and the confidence to become the true leader you are destined to become".<p>

Raph, jealous at Splinter's attention on Leo, huffed, snorted and glared at Leo, only to shrink down as Splinter glared down on him with a look that could melt butter.  
>And Raph swore that he could hear Mikey mutter, in whispers, "busted".<br>But Raph didn't feel in the mood to retort back at Mikey.  
>Leo, ignoring this exchange, discarded his red bandana, by unloosening the tails of the mask, and after letting it drop to the floor, got the blue bandana in his hands and put it on his face, soon doing it up.<br>Looking around, he looked down to his right, and saw Mikey, next to him, with a wide, toothy grin on his face.  
>"So, what do you think, Mikey"?<br>"Whoa, Leo! That blue looks good on you. I think I can get used to that"!  
>Patting Mikey's head affectionally, Leo smiled at this, and then faced forwards once again, as Splinter moved down to address Mikey and picked up an orange bandana.<p>

"Michelangelo, the color of orange represents enthusiasm, creativity, joy, and the unconventional, four traits which make you the heart and soul of the group, as well as making you a very unpredictable foe to your enemies, that of which I am very certain".  
>A wide grin was present on Michelangelo's face, as he eagerly undid the tails of his red bandana, chucked it away, and went "Awesome! Thank you, Master Splinter! Gimme Gimme Gimme"!<br>Chuckling and smiling, Splinter however swiped the bandana out of the reach of Michelangelo's hands, and after raising an eyebrow questioningly, went "Ahem, Michelangelo"?

Michelangelo, a bit slow on the uptake, soon realized what Splinter wanted, and he politely asked "Uhmm, can I have my new bandana, please, Sensei"?  
>"Good, and yes you can, Michelangelo".<br>Holding out the bandana in front of him, Michelangelo took it, wrapped it around his face and did it up.

Moving onto Donatello, Splinter continued on, as he held a purple bandana, and held it out in front of him, saying "Donatello, the color of purple represents power, ambition, wisdom and creativity, traits of which fit well considering your, well, since fondness does not do it justice, your natural aptitude for tinkering tools and technology, as well as the knowledge of the world around you, in your mind, is unmatched".  
>Donatello, after displaying his gap teeth with his smile, uttered a "thank you sensei" as he undid the tails of his mask, put it down on the floor, and put the purple bandana on him.<p>

And finally, coming onto Raphael, Splinter got the final bandana, it being colored in black, and held it out in front of him, and addressed his second eldest son.  
>"Raphael, the color of black represents power, fear, and strength, for which you, my son, possess within your fists and muscles great power and strength, and you have the capability of striking fear into the hearts of your enemies, by both being an unstoppable force, and also, by becoming one with the shadows".<br>But while he did detect a smile on Raphael's face, his demeanor wasn't totally happy. Raphael's favourite color was red, ironic considering that red represented anger. But he, nonetheless, took the black bandana out of Splinter's hands. And then, to his sensei's total surprise, he only wrapped it around his right upper arm.

Splinter was not the only one surprised. Michelangelo and Donatello all had surprise right on their faces, and all Raphael could say in return, was a simple "What"?  
>Donatello went "Er, Raph, you're supposed to wrap that bandana around your head".<br>A snort later and then, "Over my dead body. I'm keeping the red. Red looks cool".

Splinter coughed, drawing his sons' attention and warned "My sons, even though you have achieved so much, I must caution you to not let your pride get to your heads. Earning the title of ninja, is not as easy as keeping it. Remember, my sons, to conduct your actions accordingly, as I have said, with the virtues of Bushidō. Do you understand, my sons"?  
>All four closed their eyes, joined their hands together and went "Hai, Sensei".<br>"Good. Now my sons, you may enjoy your well earned break. Celebrate, my sons. Make the most out of your well deserved celebration until dinner".  
>"Hai Sensei".<p>

And with that, Splinter watched, as his four sons, got up from their kneeling positions, cheered and expressed relief at being able to have their celebration.

And when they all have left the room, Splinter got into the Lotus flower position, and started his meditation.

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><p><strong>Well, that's that done. Sorry for the delay.<strong>

**And if any of you are wondering why Mikey is the biotic turtle, it was well, because firstly, since the Turtles will be facing biotic enemies, they might need an edge against biotics, and thus one turtle with biotics would be their trump card against them. Secondly, out of all the four turtles, Mikey always seems to be the odd one out, never fulfilling an important role in the group, other than constant comic-relief, and just by being a dimwitted, scatterbrained goofball (He wasn't always a goofball, as the Mirage comics would prove). So I figured that Mikey's biotic abilities would be (in time), one key factor in maturing him as the series progresses. And thirdly, while I had chosen Mikey to be the biotic turtle, Raph was also a candidate, because I figured that biotic abilities on Raph would be also one reason why he is so moody and sullen, but by then, it was too late to change anything. So Mikey is the biotic turtle in this group.**

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review, and see you next time.**

**Update: (1/4/2014) Just added some new information regarding the height of the Turtles, to give you a better picture on how tall they are.  
>Update: (244/2014) Fixed up some grammar.**


	7. Downtime

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>"The Lair", the Sewers under Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula. <em>  
><em>February 4th, 2183.<em>

Once the four turtles exited the dojo, into the living room, which was the largest room in the lair, they all started doing things to pass to time, or in Mikey's case, celebrate.

Mikey immediately ran for the couch in the living room, jumped and landed on it, producing his omni-tool and using it to switch on the TV.  
>Despite Mikey's thoughts going back to the constant corrections that Donnie would insist on saying, in that it was a vid-screen, not a TV, Mikey's face instantly brightened up when it got to the Galactoons Channel. And the show that was on?<br>None other than his favourite, _The Spectres_.

Of course, he'd watch _Galactic Force_ and the _Galactic Elite_, but _The Spectres_ was the one he most enjoyed out of all of them. Featuring the adventures of Captain Conrad, the First Human Spectre, his crew and his 'girl', the _Côte d'Azur_, in his missions protecting Citadel Space.  
>And speaking of crew, many people had thought that Captain Conrad, should have had an all human crew, but in the case of what Donnie called, 'Political correctness', the crew of the <em>Côte d'Azur<em> was a mixture of human and every Citadel race.  
>Mikey then remembered one time regarding Captain Conrad and his crew, that Raph said that "as long as I live, there'll never be a human Spectre, and if there was, he or she would never work with aliens"!<p>

Anyways, onto the crew of the _Côte d'Azur_, there was still a handful of humans, including the Captain's 'right hand woman', Commander Jennifer Marks, who was a xenophobe (a term for those who hated aliens, according to Donnie) and hated the aliens alongside Conrad, sometimes letting that get in the way of missions, but was still loyal to the Captain, nonetheless. Then there was the Japanese science officer named Dr Minato, the Scottish security officer named Mackenzie (or just simply Mac), the Russian medical officer named Dr Volkov, and last but not least, a never ending supply of what Donnie called "redshirts", basically another word for cannon folder in fiction.  
>The aliens on the <em>Côte d'Azur<em> were the oddest bunch. The helmsman was an Elcor, of all things. The weapons officer was a Turian. The Navigation officer was a Salarian. The chief engineer was an Asari. And finally, the bartender (who served non-alcoholic drinks, for it was still a cartoon, nonetheless) was a Volus.  
>And the ground team that accompanied Conrad, had an Asari martial arts specialist, a Salarian sniper, a Turian heavy weapons operator and a Drell tech expert. The two humans that accompanied the ground team, well apart from the redshirts who would get killed off pretty quick, were a pair of two human biotic siblings.<p>

Mikey turned his attention back onto the show, and saw that Captain Conrad, was now at the helm of his ship, conferring with the Elcor helmsman, Telbyn.  
>"<em>Helmsman, how soon will we be at Tarakon Five?<em>"  
>"<em>With irritation, the ship will arrive when it gets there and not when you want it to, Captain. With annoyance, this helmsman has a name. The name is Telbyn. So use it please, Captain<em>".  
>Anger on his face, in a very comical way, Captain Conrad always had that look whenever someone referred the <em>Côte d'Azur<em> as 'just a ship' or referred to the ship as 'it', as he liked to think of the _Côte d'Azur_ as an actual thing and not as a machine.  
>"<em>She has a name, helmsman! She's the <em>Côte d'Azur_, not 'the ship' or 'this ship', so remember that or you'll be out of the airlock faster than you can say sorry. No offense intended_".  
>"<em>With severe annoyance, none taken. And with irritation, you have said that for the last 90 times, so your threats are meaningless and just words<em>".

Mikey smiled at the reference to the fact that this was the 90th episode, and that Captain Conrad usually, whenever arguing with Telbyn, made a threat to throw him out of the airlock 'faster than you can say sorry. No offense intended'.  
>And of course, slight annoyance crept across Mikey's face as he remembered Donnie stated that the show was not allowed to use the names of real planets, due to the factor of 'Political correctness strikes again', and Donnie also said that due to any use of a real planet in a negative way could cause a diplomatic incident that could cost humanity it's chance of taking a seat at the Council, all planets except for human colonies, were given fictional names.<br>Donnie said that it was idiotic to let political correctness get in the way, but Mikey couldn't really care less. _It's just a cartoon Donnie_!

Now with that thought out of his head, Mikey continued watching, as Captain Conrad made his rounds around the bridge.

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><p>Donnie didn't really feel in the mood to watch <em>The Spectres<em> with Mikey, for he just could not help his nitpicking whenever some show was on and _The Spectres_ was one of those shows.

So he retreated to his area of solitude, the lair's laboratory, which also connected to Donnie's bedroom.

Closing the door behind him, Donnie took a look around the lab, and when his eyes lingered on several large vivarium containing his cockroaches and earthworms, as well as a large formicarium containing an ant colony, he smiled and went over to check in on them.  
>Satisfied at the ants, the earthworms and the cockroaches all going about their business, Donnie then moved to his bedroom, and laid eyes on the 18 square feet cage containing his 7 pet guinea pigs. Moving over to the cage, he looked upon them, and could tell who was who.<br>All named after 7 of the 'greatest scientific minds in human history' (in Donnie's opinion), which his brothers teased him about to no end when he named them, they were all shorthaired guinea pigs with a wide range of coloring.

The eldest one, named Isaac after Sir Isaac Newton, was a White-Crested, while the next one, named Einstein after Albert Einstein, was a Chocolate Roan.  
>Hawking, named after Professor Stephen Hawking, was a Tortoiseshell cavy, colored in black, white and brown, whilst Petri, named after Julius Richard Petri, and Bunsen, named after Robert Bunsen, were all golden selfs (Bunsen was larger than Petri, so he could tell the difference between them two easily).<br>Jenner, named after Edward Jenner, was a cream/white bi colored cavy.  
>And finally, the youngest one, Mendeleev, named after Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev, was a Satin red roan.<p>

Donnie, soon decided to see if they would have a wonder around, so Donnie opened the cage's side door and waited to see if they would exit and have a wonder around his room and the lab.

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><p>But whilst Donnie was with his guinea pigs, Raph was now in his room, angry at that, the "teacher's pet" was receiving the phrase and attention from Master Splinter, and for all his hard work, Raph received no phrase.<br>So he was throwing punches in his own room, at thin air. Quite literally.

And then, feeling another bout of anger wash all over him, Raph stopped, then cracked his knuckles, hoping to strike and break something to unleash his anger on, but when reminded of the fact that he was in his room, Raph groaned and flopped down onto his bed, hard and due to some tiredness creeping on him, tried to put the "fearless leader", Leo, out of his mind by going to sleep.  
>But judging from the constant growling and groaning, it'd be a while before that would happen.<p>

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><p>With his brothers doing their thing, Leo usually had a choice of things to do in his spare time. He'd be watching his favourite show, <em>Galactic Force<em>, and watching the adventures of the brave, wise, compassionate, and modest, Captain Prince leading Galactic Force against the evil forces of Maw, lead by the evil Maw-Lord. Or he'd be in the dojo, trying to refine his katas or sharpen his swordsmanship skills. Or he'd be in his room, reading his books.  
>So since Splinter occupied the dojo and was meditating, Leo usually respected his sensei's privacy, so he refrained from using the dojo whenever Splinter was meditating, and thus, settled for going for the sanctuary of his room.<p>

Opening the door to his room, he smiled at seeing that things were as he left them, including his bookshelf. Walking over to check it, there were a few actual paper books on the shelf, not as much as Leo would like, but given that actual paperbacks and hardcovers were now collectors items, nowadays, given that everything was holographic, there was significant difficulty in getting more. And even though Mikey and Donnie had said that he could still get books off via downloading them onto a datapad or his omni-tool, Leo felt it was not the same as feeling actual paper in his hands, and that there was quite a special feeling with having an actual paper book that no one else would probably understand.  
>Leo's eyes lingered over the books, checking everything was still in place, and looked upon the author and title of the books. There was Alexandre Dumas' <em>The Three Musketeers<em>, Sun Tzu's _The Art of War_, Carl von Clausewitz's _On War_, Robert Green's _The 33 Strategies on War_ and _The 48 Laws of Power_, and last but not least, Miyamoto Musashi's _The Book of Five Rings_.  
>And noticing that he was still reading <em>The Three Musketeers<em>, he took the book out of the bookshelf, went over to the chair he used to sit down and read his books, sat down, turned to the bookmarker, and read on from there.

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><p><strong>Well, that's that done. And this was one of the most difficult chapters so far, trying to pin down the Turtles I'm portraying here, without making them seem like carbon copies of ones we've seen in the cartoons and the films. But nonetheless, I still had quite a bit of fun doing this chapter.<br>**  
><strong>In regards to the names of Donnie's guinea pigs, I reckoned that since Donnie's a bit of a science genius, he'd give them names after some of the greatest scientific minds of humanity, either by what they have discovered in the scientific field, or by what equipment they've made that has helped in science.<br>And with Leonardo being a book reader, I choose books that seemed be what he'd read, all according to his personality, and during the 1987 cartoon, he was established as being a book reader, and that was one Leonardo aspect I wanted to portray along with being a serious, focused student and leader. And that's not the only thing he does in his spare time!**

**Oh and, 'The Spectres' contains parallels to Commander Shepard. And the traits of Captain Prince, who is the star of the show 'Galactic Force', a parody of G.I. Joe and Transformers, has the combination of traits of Duke and Optimus Prime. And the Galactic Elite, is a superhero show in the Mass Effect universe, based of the Justice League, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. And so, for a bit of fun, see if you can spot some references and parallels in those three shows.**

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and see you next time!**


	8. Dinner and a Decision

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>"The Lair", the Sewers under Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 4th, 2183<em>.

Leonardo, having read a significant part of _The Three Musketeers_, set his bookmarker onto the page that he had gotten up to so far. And he put the book back on his bookshelf, and then went out of his room, to watch _Galactic Force_, for the show was going to be on soon.

After exiting his room, and closing his bedroom door behind him, Leo walked over to the couch, where Mikey, sitting down, with his elbows on his knees, hands on his chin, and with a wide grin, as _The Spectres_, was in the midst of it's ending credits.

Coming over to sit down next to Mikey, Leo opened the conversation.

"So enjoyed the show so far, Mikey"?  
>Mikey, having known that Leo had sat down next to him, only turned his head to address his elder brother, replying "Oh, hey Leo. Yeah, you missed a great episode. Captain Conrad faced down the evil forces of Slaver-Lord. Again. On Tarakon Five. You see, Slaver-Lord was kidnapping the inhabitants of a village and forcing them to be slaves, as so to dig up element zero, but Captain Conrad was all 'Slaver-Lord, I will stop you once and for all', and Slaver-Lord was all like 'You'll never stop me! I'm invincible'. So they had a bit of a battle between one another, whilst Lieutenant Marks lead the team to free the slaves, and she almost got herself killed because she ignored a warning from one of the team. But she still lived, and then, Captain Conrad beat Slaver-Lord, and his four eyes were all on fire, as he said the whole 'this isn't over, Captain Conrad. I will have my revenge'! And he escaped, and thus, Captain Conrad and his crew save the day once again"!<br>Leo, usually having learnt not to interrupt Mikey whenever stating down what happened, then asked "And that's it"?  
>"Oh no. That Star-King made a appearance once again".<br>"Did he"?  
>"Oh yeah. He was sitting on a golden throne and he was all doing the whole 'muahahahahaha' stuff and rubbing his fingers together, as he makes another proclamation to rule the galaxy. Same old, same old".<br>Leo was about to ask if Mikey ever got bored, but didn't, given that Mikey had a 'fanboy' enthusiasm when describing what happened on _The Spectres_. And so Leo stayed silent.

Then Mikey broke the silence as he went "So Leo, you here for _Galactic Force_"?  
>Leo nodded, chuckling and went "Heck yes. Here to watch Captain Prince kick ass and take names".<br>A wide grin from Mikey, with a fist pump and then, "Oh yeah!

Leo smiled back, as the continuity announcer then spoke, and both Mikey and Leo awaited for the show to start.

* * *

><p>Donnie meanwhile, had the automatic feeder for the cage on a table, filling up containers, and also took the time to ensure that the automatic feeder was in working order, a habit that he did most of the time. After this, he started putting the automatic feeder back together, and then, once assembled, he put it back into the cage. And soon, he then began the possess of cleaning out the cage, which he had to do regularly. Luckily the guinea pigs were all wondering around his room, so he could change the hay, give the cage a bit of a clean and then his guinea pigs would have a clean home.<br>Taking out the hay currently within the cage, he then disposed of the hay into a waste disposal bag, and then went over to a cupboard, where another packet of hay was. Taking that packet out, then putting it down on his table, he then got a cleaning spray, a fibrecloth wipe and started cleaning the cage, by spraying the inside, and then scrubbing with the wipe. Donnie continued on doing this, until he could tell that the cage was clean and smelt very clean. And then, going over to put the cleaning stuff on his table, he got the bag of hay, opened it, and put in the hay.  
>And the hay set down, Donnie felt one of his guinea pigs go alongside his left foot. Looking down, he saw that it was Einstein, and Donnie gently took his hands down to stroke his fur. Then, he decided to take a look at what the rest of his guinea pigs were up to, and saw that they were now going into the laboratory, so Donnie, having knelt down near the cage, stood up and went over to have a look at his guinea pigs wondering about in the lab.<p>

* * *

><p>Leo and Mikey, meanwhile were all focused on what has happening on the vid screen.<p>

Captain Prince was facing down Maw-Lord at his secret headquarters.  
>"<em>Maw-Lord, your galactic domination stops right now!<em>"  
>"<em>Oh really, Captain? I think it's all just started. For I have the ultimate ray of doom in my clutches and I will use it to conquer every planet that stands in my path!<em>"  
>Crackling into a very evil laugh, as all cartoon villains did, Maw-Lord continued on.<br>"_And you, Captain Prince, or your team of humans and aliens, will not be able to stop me! And of course, speaking of your team, they won't be joining you, for they're in a room where all the oxygen is being pumped out as we speak_".  
>Captain Prince however, smiled, when his team of humans, Asari, Salarians and Turians, met up with him, explaining that even though that they were trapped, as Maw-Lord had said, they were able to get out.<br>And Captain Prince then prepared to go and start the whole rally cry of Galactic Force, as he and his team went to battle Maw-Lord.  
>"<em>Ladies, and Gentlemen, let's go and put a stop to Maw-Lord. Go Galactic Force!<em>".  
>As every one of Captain Prince's team leapt into battle, yelling the battle cry of Galactic Force, 'Go Galactic Force', Mikey chanted the same words as the rest of the team.<br>"Go Galactic Force"!

But then, the vid screen switched off, and Mikey and Leo reacted, with a 'Hey'!  
>"Michelangelo, is it not time for you to put the dinner on"?<br>"YIKES!"  
>Jumping at the sound of his sensei, close behind him, he had jumped off the couch and fell onto the floor. Picking himself up, he turned to face Master Splinter, gave a cheesy grin as well as an embarrassed look on his face and went "Man, sensei, don't make me jump like that. You may be the master of ninjutsu, but man, give a turtle some warning, would ya"?<br>Splinter chuckled, but then recomposed himself and went "The point remains, Michelangelo, that you still need to put on your dinner and your brothers' dinner. And you certainly cannot do that while watching vids, and shouting 'Go Galactic Force'".  
>Sighing, and with resignation, walking over to the kitchen, Mikey replied, "Hai Sensei".<p>

Splinter then looked at his eldest son, who was on the couch, and went "Leonardo, would you like to join me in some meditation, while we wait for Michelangelo for finish dinner"?  
>"Hai, Sensei".<br>Standing up, Leonardo then followed his sensei as he went back into the dojo and already, there were two mats, to sit on. Splinter took the one on the right, whilst Leo took the one on the left. Sitting into the Lotus position, Leo looked to his left, seeing that his sensei was already beginning his meditation routine.  
>And Leo, started to remember the lessons in meditation that his sensei had taught him, and began to go into the steps, one by one, calming and relaxing his mind, before he closed his eyes.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Two and a half quarter hours later...<strong>

When Mikey announced that dinner was finished, he could be heard throughout the lair, so the excuse of not hearing him, wasn't a very good one if you didn't want to come to dinner.  
>And entering the kitchen, came Leo, Donnie and Raph, as well as Master Splinter.<p>

Mikey had made yet another addition of soup, which apart from noodles, was the only other food that they got down here. Sitting down in their table positions, Leo, even though he didn't exactly like the soup, for he preferred the noodles, he just put his spoon in, got a spoonful of soup and slipped it, not complaining, and adopting a stoic look.  
>His brothers, were a totally different story.<br>Raph had an angry scowl on his face, and grimace as he ate his soup. _I'm fed up of eating this rubbish soup. I just wish we could try something else other than soup and noodles!_, were what was going through Raph's thoughts.  
>Donnie, as he ate his portion of the soup, had a very displeased look.<br>Mikey, meanwhile, had a very eager look on his face, but of course, he put on that face, to hide his distaste at the fact that it was the same sort of soup he tried. Even though he cooked it, he still did not like the fact that soup and noodles were the only thing on their menu down here.  
>And as usual, he tried to offer some more to his elder brothers, but the response was always "No thanks" or something on those lines.<p>

And after they finished eating, and now washing up, Donnie then tried to get the subject of his brothers' distaste for soup off their minds, by asking Splinter a question which they had asked periodically from time to time.  
>"Sensei, since we're now 15, and that we've completed the trials, do you think that we're ready to go up to 'the surface'"?<br>'The surface' was an exciting thought to the four brothers, considering that they had never seen what would await them on 'the surface'. Master Splinter, during their youth, had forbidden them to venture anywhere near there, and stated that 'the surface world' is a dangerous place, and would never understand them.  
>And as predicted, the thoughts of their distaste for soup had dropped out of Leo, Mikey and Raph's minds, as they awaited the answer from their sensei. Of course, in the past, he had stated and sternly said 'No', but there was always the first time that he'd say yes.<br>And today was that first time.

"Yes".

Cheering came from Donnie, Mikey and Raph, but not from Leo, who even though wanted to go up to 'the surface' as much as his brothers, was a bit more reserved and knew that Master Splinter wasn't finished.

"And no".

Cheering turned to groaning. And Splinter started saying "My sons. I have spoken about this, time and time again. 'The surface world' is a totally foreign place to all of you. It's inhabitants will not understand you four, or me, for we are so different in so many ways. They fear the unknown, and we are very unknown to them".  
>Donnie, however, continued to push his luck into allowing Splinter to let them go. "But Sensei, we've completed the trials. We are ready for whatever 'the surface world' brings us".<br>An eyebrow rose, and Splinter stated "Are you really, Donatello? Are you really, my sons? Despite you having completed the trials, there is still so much for you to learn. And you are still teenagers, still young".  
>Leo then said, "Sensei, with all due respect, I know you're trying to protect us, but you can't keep us contained within the lair forever. There is a time when you will have to let us go".<br>Raph then said "Yeah, come on, sensei. How bad can it be"?  
>And then Mikey added his two cents, "Yeah, please sensei! Please please please, pretty please"!<p>

Splinter then started thinking heavily, knowing that this decision would risk exposure to the outside world. But his eldest son was right. There was going to be a time when he'd have to let them go. The question was, was this going to be that time?

So he closed his eyes, and he could hear Mikey whispering in a dramatic voice "He's doing the thinking look..."

And then, 2 minutes later, he came to a decision, hoping that his sons would not make him regret this decision.  
>Opening his eyes, to see his sons looking at him expectingly, "Very well. You may go to the surface, tomorrow night".<p>

Even though they couldn't go to the surface now, they were overjoyed, even Leo, for a venture to the surface was surely worth one day down in the lair.  
>Mikey was whooping and fist bumping, along with Raph and Donnie, whilst Leo hung back, even though excited, was a bit apprehensive.<br>Looking at his sensei, Leo then stated "Sensei, do not worry. I will ensure nothing happens to my brothers when up on the surface".  
>Walking over to his eldest son, Splinter then replied back, with a genuine smile "Good to know, my son. And I know you'll take care of your brothers. Just ensure that you and your brothers do not do any foolish to reveal yourselves to the surface world".<br>A bow and, "Hai, Sensei".

As Leo, walked off, Master Splinter sighed, as he hoped that his sons would not mess up their venture, for if they did, it'll be another reason for him to keep them down in the lair. But of course, he'd just have to place his faith in his sons.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, another hard chapter done.<br>And sorry if this seems to be a bit rushed. Of course, I needed to speed things up a bit to get the plot moving, otherwise it'll be a very slow story, but I couldn't just put in no details or what the characters are thinking. That's the thing with stories, it's about finding the balance between showing character development, as well as showing what makes them tick and what they do in their spare time, and between getting things moving, and you can't go too fast, or it'll just be a very bland story with no detail. It'd be just like a plain sandwich with no ingredients in it.  
>And next chapter, we'll see our first look at April, and a possible cameo from Casey Jones (don't worry. He'll have a much bigger role in another story later). But of course, I give no promises.<strong>

**So anyways, don't forget to leave a review and see you next time.**

**Update 8/4/14: Worked around some bits of this chapter, to fix up some parts which I was not satisfied with.**


	9. School Dismissed

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>Roolteyn Senior School, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th 2183<em>.

Named for the Commander of the Salarian expedition that made first contact with the Asari, in 520 BCE, the Roolteyn Senior School was one of the many education centers on the Citadel. Every ward, had a Junior School, a Senior School, a few colleges, and a University, all of which had names that were either key members of the Asari expeditionary team that first found the Citadel, significant Asari or Salarians who were part of first contact between each other, or establishing the Citadel Council, or last but not least, the very first councilors of the Citadel Council. But of course, the Universities were all named after the Wards that they were located in.

But for April O'Neil, one of the many human students of Roolteyn Senior, such thoughts were not her mind as she exited the classroom. The day was over, and all students were now making their way or preparing to go home.

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, April made her way to the comm terminals, which would now be activated, in order to contact her dad, to see if work was going to be taking much of his day, going through the mass of students and teachers, either of which were Human, Asari, Salarian, Turian, Elcor, Drell, Volus, and even Hanar.  
>Seeing a free terminal, she rushed her pace over to get over there before another student beat her too it. And she did manage to narrowly get to the terminal, before a Turian did.<p>

"Hey, human, I was here first"!  
>April turned around to face the Turian, who had grey, brown and orange facial markings on him, and said "Well, I'm sorry, but I got here first before you. So, you're just going to have to wait your turn. And anyway, I don't plan on being long".<br>His mandibles started flaring, as the Turian, whose name April didn't know, showed irritation. And just as he was about to say something else, another Turian, this one with green, with white facial markings, put a hand on the shoulder of, presumably his friend or brother, and stated "come on, Sellick. Let's find another terminal". Then, Sellick just growled and walked away, mumbling to himself, "Humans just love to be butting everywhere they can damn well please..."

Turning her attention back to the terminal, April switched on the terminal, and after issuing her thumbprint, the terminal's VI began speaking.  
>"<em>April O'Neil. Verified. Do you wish to call someone? If so, please state the name and location, either their home address, or their workplace<em>".  
>"O'Neil, Kirby. Stocktronics".<br>"_Standby, April O'Neil_".  
>A few moments, and April was willing for the terminal to hurry up to see if her dad was going to respond, for she did not want to hold up the students behind her, who were forming a queue.<br>And soon the VI responded.  
>"<em>Connection with Kirby O'Neil established<em>".

And soon, her father's face appeared on the screen, and April smiled at seeing her father.  
>"Hey, April. Did you just finish school"?<br>"Yes, dad. I was just calling to see how things were at work, and to see if you're going to be home late".  
>A displeased look was on her father's face, as he said "Well, yes, that much is true. I'm going to be home quite late. Dr Stockman's riding us hard over here with the new project coming up, and I'm sorry, April..."<br>"No, it's okay. I understand, dad. I really do, and I don't blame you. And in any case, I'm going over to Irma's to do some homework assignments. Is that alright by you"?  
>And far from another displeased look, which April sort of expected, her father looked relieved, of all things, and said "Yes, you can, April. Just be careful".<br>Sighing, she went "I know. Some of the Citadel's residents are still not welcoming towards humans, I know".  
>Then deciding to finish the conversation, for more students were queuing up behind her, April then said "Hey, look dad, I better be getting off. I'll see you later, okay"?<br>And furthermore, her father seemed to be a bit distracted as he slowly caught up to what April was saying, "What? Oh, yes, of course. I'll see you later, April".  
>"See you dad".<br>April disconnected, then came "_Communication Disconnected_", and April went off, to find Irma.

* * *

><p>It took a bit of a while but, April managed to find Irma, at the school's lobby. As April approached, Irma spotted her close friend, smiled and gave a friendly wave of her hand.<p>

"You spoke with your dad, April"?  
>"Yeah. He says I can go to your place to do this homework assignment. Are your parents going to be alright with that, Irma"?<br>"Oh yes, they won't mind! Not a problem at all! So anyway, let's get over there and get this homework done"  
>"You said it".<p>

And then suddenly, as they prepared to go through the doors, shouting was heard behind them, and they turned around, to see a 17 year old boy, dressed in dark clothing, being chased by those who April recognized as part of the school's American Football team, lead by Edward Cooper, or "Eddie" to his mates. The school's star American football player, he fitted the role of school jock to some aspects. And soon, April and Irma let the boy, as well as Eddie and his mates past, as they rushed through the lobby's doors, out onto the Citadel.

Irma then sighed, as she commented "Well, Casey Jones probably got on the wrong side of Eddie Cooper once again".  
>Frowning at the name of Casey Jones, who she never heard of, April asked Irma who Casey Jones was, and she replied "Oh, Casey's on the Ice Hockey team. Plays as a defender, and bit of a wild player too. Anyways, Eddie's got a beef against Casey, and likes to torment him no matter where".<br>Concern on her face, Irma picked it up, and said "Whatever you're thinking of, April, I wouldn't get into all that trouble, just for Casey Jones. It's not worth it".  
>"But..."<br>Crossing her arms, Irma then angrily went "April, are you going to do this homework assignment, or are you going to waste your time on some pigheaded, arrogant ice hockey player"?  
>Frowning, April asked her friend "Why, what makes you think that he is, an pigheaded, arrogant, ice hockey player? Well of course he's an ice hockey player like you said, but what makes you think he's all those other things"?<br>"Because Jones likes to show off a lot to the ladies during ice hockey matches, and plus, he's so full of himself, that's all I can say".  
>Sighing, April dejectedly said "If you say so, Irma".<br>Smiling, Irma replied "I do say so. Now c'mon! My mom will freak if I don't get back in time"!

As her friend sprinted off, April followed.  
>Little did she realize that the events of today, would change her life forever.<p>

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it. An introduction to April, as well as an appearance from Kirby O'Neil (he'll play an important role later) and Irma, and a Casey Jones cameo.<br>**  
><strong>Next time, the Turtles arise up on the surface! So don't forget to leave a review and see you next time!<strong>

**Update (19/4/14): Just spiced up the chapter a bit, because it still felt a bit blank to me.  
>Update (157/14): Yet another fix up. Urgh, I try my best not to change too much of the chapter so much that it'll be completely unrecognizable and of course, leaving you guys wondering if I can keep my story straight, but I just do the best I can.**


	10. Arise to the Surface

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>"The Lair", the Sewers under Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th, 2183<em>.

"Beware my sons. The surface world, will be a strange, foreign world to all of you. It's inhabitants will not understand you, for you are different in so many ways to them".

Tonight was the night. Tonight, four teenage mutant ninja turtle brothers, would rise up to the 'surface world'.  
>They had spent the rest of the day, preparing for that time, practicing their katas, sparring with one another, getting into shape, and in Donnie's case, kitting up for the surface venture.<br>In his laboratory, he had been at 'the workshop', located just in the opposite end of the laboratory, working on some equipment that he said, "might be handy for when we get up there". He had locked the doors, wanting not to be disturbed, and his brothers, knowing high strung Donnie could be, left him alone to his own devices.  
>When finished, he had been carrying a carrier bag on his shell, slung on a strap, near the sheath of his bō staff, and when asked what was in it, Donnie had just replied simply, "It's a surprise" and his brothers left it at that.<p>

And as Splinter walked in front of his sons, who were standing in a line, near the entrance of the sewers, that connected their lair to the sewers, ready to go up and face whatever the surface could bring them, Splinter could tell that Leonardo's twin Ninjatō had been sharpened and polished, for Leonardo liked to take good care of his swords, Donatello's bō staff, and Michelangelo's twin nunchaku/kusarigama, were in top mint condition, and finally Raphael's twin Sai, were still looking as sharp as ever, despite not being as polished as Leonardo's Ninjatō.  
>His sons looked at him, ready for their Sensei to 'say the magic words', as Michelangelo had put it.<p>

Closing his eyes, continuing to think furthermore on allowing his sons to go to the surface, he then opened his eyes and said simply, "Good luck, my sons".

All four of them, cheering and fist bumping, bolted for the entrance to the sewer, but Splinter wasn't going to let them run amok on the surface, not without giving them some ground rules.  
>"<strong>YAME!<strong>"  
>Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo all halted to a complete stop, turned around, anxious to listen to what their sensei would say next, and hoping that he wouldn't at the last minute, change his mind.<br>"But, before you go up to the surface world, I cannot stress this enough. Leonardo is your leader. Anything he says, you follow. And furthermore, here are a few ground rules before you go up".  
>Then Michelangelo and Raphael started groaning, at the potential of having their fun ruined by whatever Splinter was thinking (or in Raphael's case, being bossed around by Leonardo).<br>Addressing Leonardo, but his message still was intended for all four of them, Splinter stated "Firstly, you must maintain awareness at all times, and always mind your surroundings".  
>"Secondly, stay in the shadows. Because, if you may recite, Leonardo"?<p>

Bowing to his sensei, his eldest son replied "The darkness give the ninja their power, but the light is a weapon of it's own, able to be used against the ninja".  
>"Good". Splinter then continued listing down.<br>"Thirdly, my sons, whatever you do, DO NOT REVEAL YOURSELVES OR MAKE YOURSELVES KNOWN TO THE PEOPLE OF THE SURFACE"!  
>Splinter's rising voice had made all four of them jump, at the fact that he spoke in a stern, serious voice that pretty much indicated 'You do as I tell you, or there will be severe punishment'.<p>

Bringing his voice to a calmer level, Splinter continued on.  
>"And finally, if you are revealed, and those who discover you, have hostile intentions towards you, you must rely on each other, as a team, as brothers. Never fight alone. There is nothing you cannot do if you set about working together".<br>"Do you understand, my sons"?  
>In a bored voice from Michelangelo and Raphael, "Hai, Sensei".<br>"DO YOU UNDERSTAND"?  
>All four raised their voices with "HAI SENSEI"!<p>

"Then, good luck, my sons. But do not take too long out there".

Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael left through to the sewers, whilst Leonardo hung back and faced his sensei, "So, when do you want us to be back by, Sensei"?  
>"2 hours from now, Leonardo. And don't worry. I have full confidence in your ability to lead your brothers effectively, but I suppose, only time will tell. Nevertheless, good luck, Leonardo".<br>Smiling, Leonardo bowed and Splinter bowed back, as Leonardo left the lair, into the sewers, to catch up with his brothers.

* * *

><p>Walking down the sewer, Leo still felt some unease with his new bandana, given that the red one he had worn, he had worn that for pretty much almost his lifetime.<br>Feeling a bit of itch at some areas, given that he would need to get used to having his new blue bandana, Leo rubbed his fingers over those areas and went back to finding his brothers. Earlier, during a break in their sparring, he and Donnie had discussed where they would go, to get up to the surface. They had decided to use an access hatch that led to an alley, out of sight of the inhabitants, for very few people would use an alley regularly.

Taking a few left and right turns, Leo managed to catch up with Donnie, Mikey and Raph, who were waiting by the ladder, that undoubtably led up to the 'surface'.  
>Greeting Donnie, Leo went "well, shall we"?<br>Mikey beamed at this, excitedly saying how cool it was going to be, all the while about to climb up the ladder first. But Leo stopped him, "Uh, Mikey. I know how excited you are, but someone will have to go up first, and see if the coast is clear".  
>"But there is no coast, last time I checked".<br>Donnie slapped a hand on his face, while Raph cuffed the back of Mikey's head.  
>"OW!"<p>

Leo however, stepped in. "Enough, Raph. Anyways, the point remains that someone needs to go up to the surface first, then call down to tell you lot that it's safe to come up. And as your leader, that responsibility falls to me. When on this venture, I shall be the first up, and when going back, I will be the last one down".  
>Addressing all of his brothers, but slightly looking at Raph, he then continued "I trust that no one has any objections"?<br>When no one voiced an objection, including Raph, Leo then went "Then, let's do this".

Getting to the ladder, Leo climbed up it, eventually reaching the hatch and checking to see if it was open.  
>He struggled to get it open, which meant it had a lock of some kind, and thus, Leo got his omni-tool out and remembered Donnie's lessons on decryption, due to that many locks were electronic in nature, nowadays.<br>Starting the bypass, he now had to move an arrow to the center of a series of rotating rings, all the while trying not to be hit and also doing it within a specific time slot.  
>After navigating through 4 of these, the hatch was loose and Leo slightly opened it, to see out through the gap. Taking a look around, he could see that the coast was clear, and soon pushed the hatch right open. Moving out of the hatch, Leo then said "Alright, guys. Coast is clear. You can come up now". Soon, Donnie came up, then came Raph, and then came Mikey.<p>

And now they could savor the moment, that they were on the surface, after all these years of having lived down in the sewers. And with the buildings blocking any sort of view, they decided to move out, and take a look around. Leo however, reminded his brothers "Alright, let's remember our training, and remember Splinter's instructions. Maintain an awareness, mind the surroundings, stay in the shadows and stay away from people. Okay"?  
>Raph, groaned and retorted "Leo, we get it! Geez, we got it the first hundred times"!<br>Mikey butted in, again, "But Leo didn't say it a hundred times..."  
>But before Raph could tell him to shut up, Leo glared at both of them, and went "Enough. Let's get a move on".<p>

Slipping to and from the shadows of the alley, they soon were in approach of the entrance/exit of the alley that they were in, and immediately, Leo saw a problem.  
>Out that way, was a busy street, full of humans, asari, salarians, turians, as well as an occasional Hanar, Drell, Volus and Elcor.<br>Leo, frowned. They would be too exposed out there, and so it seemed that their trip had ended, before it had even begun. Mikey saw the crowds, moaned and whispered "Awww, man! How are we going to avoid all these people"?

Leo opened his mouth, but was beaten to the punch, by Donnie, who then whispered back "I've got a solution".  
>All three brothers turned to him, and after a while, Leo then asked "Well, what is it"?<p>

Getting the carrier bag from the back of his shell, he soon unzipped the bag. Reaching into it, he grabbed something from inside, and handed it to Leo, before doing the same to Mikey. Leo examined what he had got in his hands, which appeared to be a weapon, not like any that he had seen on the vids. He'd say that it was close in design to both a pistol and submachine gun, but size-wise, it was more like a submachine gun. And several things proved that.  
>For one, the pistol grip, and the adjustable vertical foregrip, were big enough to fit their hands. The trigger was big enough for their index fingers' to fit in, and of course, on the end of the weapon, was what appeared to be a grappling hook designed like a Kagi, but probably had additional features apart from having four hooks.<br>Donnie looked at Leo's face, smiled and said eagerly "Cool, isn't it"?  
>"Yeah, I designed it myself. I figured that we may need to cross the rooftops and this will do us the trick".<br>Raph butted in, "So it's pretty much take this gun, point it at something, it'll hit, and we can use it to cross over wide spaces".  
>Donnie frowned and angrily went, "No, Raph. It depends on how you want to use it. If you want to cross rooftops, aim it at a specific point, then fire it and then attach the other end at a certain point, so we can cross. Don't worry, I'm very certain that the cable's strong enough to hold our weight. I did test it's strength myself. But I wouldn't use it as a zipline or a tightrope, just yet. I may need to do further improvements later, but this'll have to do. And if you want to climb up a building, there's a little device which can be attached to your belts. Just clip the cable on that device, and when the hook hits it's target, press the device and it'll winch you up".<br>As Donnie continued on, Leo, in the middle of thinking, then suddenly asked, "Could this also be used to grab an enemy and pull them closer"?  
>Donnie, stopped, rubbed his fingers on his chin, deep in thought and stated "It's possible. But I haven't tried it out. But there's no reason that it shouldn't. But I didn't design it that way".<p>

Mikey soon examined the object in his hands, which was mainly, a big handheld box device, with a screen, but currently turned off at the moment. And also, there was two sets of what seemed to be earplugs.  
>He then asked "Hey, Don, what's this stuff"?<br>Donnie looked over, and stated "The motion tracker is what we'll be using to detect anyone coming near us. Those earplugs are so that the tracker's beeping sounds will not be heard by anyone in the general area. But don't worry, when the tracker's off, you can hear the outside world just fine. It's only when the tracker's on that the earplugs will work. Anyways, you need to also, point the tracker at a certain direction, if you want to track anything coming at you".

Raph then asked, "well, is that it"?  
>"Yeah, pretty much. But don't worry. All of us will have one of our own of these devices, so we don't have to share. And if any of them malfunction or break, I've only got two spares in this carrier bag", and turning his head to address Mikey, "so don't break them"!<br>The turtle in question pouted and replied "Oh, Donnie, would I ever do such a thing"?  
>But before Donnie could reply, Leo intervened, "Guys, let's get off the street, and onto the rooftops. Use the grappling gun"!<p>

Getting 4 devices from the carrier bag, they soon clipped the devices onto their belts, then they readied their new grappling guns, and when Donnie saw them trying to aim directly at the ledge, he then said quickly "Oh, guys. One quick reminder, press the big green button on the side of the barrel. It'll activate the magnet within the hook. And then, aim over where you want to hit. That way, it overshoots but the magnet will help latch the hook on".  
>Following the instructions of their third eldest brother, Leo, Raph and Mikey fired the grappling guns, and then so too, did Donnie.<br>The lines were secure, and they attached the cable to the devices on their belts. Pressing a small button on the top of the device, they soon find themselves being propelled upwards, as if they were being winched up.  
>And when they approached the edge of the rooftop, they soon grabbed the rooftop edge, steadying themselves and soon, after using their arms to propel themselves over the edge, onto the rooftop, they soon got their grappling hook and cables, collected them, and were about to get ready on using them again, when they saw suddenly, a sight that could be described by words, for the words, beautiful, magnificent and impressive, did not do it justice.<br>Standing side by side, the four brothers watched the view of the stars, the Serpent Nebula, and the Widow System's single star, and they just stood and watched the view, not breaking the silence for a while.  
>But Raph however, stated what he was thinking, and probably what his brothers were thinking as well.<p>

"Now, that, is the greatest thing, I have ever seen, in my whole life".

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><p><strong>Whew! Now that was some chapter to finish. Apologies for the delay, but anyways, chapter ten is here. The brothers are on a rooftop with a clear view of the surrounding sky from Tayseri Ward, and I'd imagine that someone seeing the view from the wards for the first time, would be like someone seeing the Northern Lights for the first time. I of course haven't seen the Northern Lights in person, but I guess, from common sense, when you see it in person, it is such a breathtaking view and words cannot describe how beautiful it is.<strong>

**Anyways, back to work on the next chapter, where strange happenings are around at Stocktronics...**

**Update: (24/4/2014) Fixed up a bit of grammar.**


	11. Stocktronics

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>Stocktronics Building, Upper-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th, 2183<em>.

Suppressing a yawn, despite his tiredness, Kirby O'Neil ran his eyes over his eyes, then a hand on his bald head, as he sat at his desk, cursing the very fact that he was not allowed to have a cup of coffee anywhere near his work surface, due to regulations.

After April had contacted him from school, and she asked if she would go over to Irma's for homework, which he approved of, in more ways than just improving her grades, Kirby then set about thinking about how he could further investigate several mysterious happenings at Stocktronics, that just did not sit right with Kirby.

For starters, several of his colleagues who were working at a higher level than him, on Project Mouser, had mysteriously disappeared with no trace, over the course of the past fourteen weeks. They had not come into work, they had not fled the Citadel, they had not resigned or had their employment terminated. In fact, what was most mystifying about this whole business, was that, whilst in the middle of his 'investigation', Dr Baxter Stockman himself, the Chief Executive Officer of Stocktronics, had caught wind of it, called Kirby up to his office and stated that his 'investigations' were a distraction from further progress on the project, but when Kirby stated that he only just was curious about his colleagues disappearing, Dr Stockman then outright flatly told him that it was absolutely none of his business and told him to focus on the Mouser project. And it seemed to Kirby, that in the middle of his 'lecture', Dr Stockman was making subtle threats to him if he continued on 'investigating'.

This all seemed that Dr Stockman had some involvement with the disappearances, or that he was covering someone. Kirby really did not know where Dr Stockman stood in all these mysterious happenings and how much he was involved with.

But what Kirby did know, was that he had an opportunity to find out. Dr Stockman was out for a meeting with certain Citadel officials, and the Intendants of the Wards on yet another of their concerns about the Mousers. Kirby didn't really think much about the officials complaints or concerns or misgivings or whatever, about the Mousers. But this meeting meant that Kirby could sneak into Dr Stockman's office and find out just exactly what was going on.

He wasn't exactly on a mission to investigate Stocktronics and expose whatever 'conspiracy' might be going on, nor did he owe his colleagues anything, it was just simply a matter of curiosity, a feeling that would not go away.

So, when his break began, he'd sneak into Dr Stockman's office.

* * *

><p>His shift had ended, and it was time to be on his break. But when his other colleagues would take an opportunity to get some food or drink down their mouths or just relax in the breakroom, Kirby instead was going to be risking himself and his career, by sneaking directly into Dr Stockman's office.<br>And it was lucky for him that Dr Stockman's office was on the same floor as the Mouser production areas, where were above the floor assigned to the programmers that developed the software for the Mousers.

So all Kirby had to do to get up to Stockman's office, was to go one floor up, and he could do that by going up the stairs.

Leaving his workspace, he headed in the direction for the elevator leading down to the breakroom. But when it came to the turn to the left, which lead to the elevator, Kirby went to the right, heading for the stairs. Going up the stairs, he then found himself on the Mouser production area floor. There was where the Mousers themselves were constructed, on a production line.

As Kirby walked down a corridor, he could see on his right hand side, the production line, where the legs and feet, already pre-made, were set, then came the main body cavity, where according to the schematics, was where around 90% of the software was located. Then, came the head, with a single yellow eye and two jaws that were powerful enough to bite through steel, as well as break a human's arm.

Completed, the result was a 2'6" high Mouser with a shining chrome finish.

But moving on, Kirby instead moved onto getting to Dr Stockman's office, and the workers paid no notice to him, for they were busy doing their own work. Fortunate for Kirby, but the tricky part was getting into the office without being noticed. Soon, he eventually reached the corridor with Dr Stockman's office just right at the end. Two security guards outside.

_Darn. I knew this was too easy_.

But Kirby instead found luck, when suddenly, the alarm was sounded. Everyone took note, including Kirby and those two security guards. And soon, Kirby heard one of the guards groan, "Oh come on, that's the 3rd time this week! I'm telling you, we should hunt down and kill all those damn Keepers! They're nothing but pests. Nothing but pests".

The other guard, alongside him, in a bored voice, "Yeah, yeah, get a move on". As he moved along with his partner, he then put a hand near his ear, indicating that he was in conversation with someone over implants, that would receive and send radio messages.

"Yeah, an alarm sounded at the Keeper tunnel on our floor. Yes that's right, the very same, and it's the third time this week. Might be a false alarm, but better safe than sorry, right? Yeah, we're heading over to check it out".

Once the two security guards had left, and everyone's attention was focused on the alarm at the Keeper tunnel, Kirby took the advantage to access the office. Getting his omni-tool out, he reached the door and started accessing the door, eventually gaining entry, proven when the doors opened, and soon, Kirby quickly entered. The doors closed behind him. He was now in Dr Stockman's office.

Looking around, he could see the central desk, that had a chair that could turn 360 degrees, facing any part of the desk, as well as the opening. Walking around to the opening, he sat down on the seat, which was really comfortable and seemed to be very luxurious compared to the seats that he was used to, elsewhere on the building.

Shaking his head, Kirby soon got to work, trying to activate any sort of terminal that'll find out what happened. The main terminal soon activated, but Kirby groaned at a login menu, asking for a password. Rubbing his face, and then bringing his elbow down on the desk, he had gotten so far and was blocked by a simple login menu.

_Damn_.

Out of frustration, Kirby then put his left hand down underneaf the desk to rest it on his knee and soon hit something. Looking under the desk, he soon spotted a switch. Knowing it was not a panic button, for it was not a button but a switch. Located of to the right, Kirby flicked the switch.

And soon, another terminal was heard being activated. A second terminal on Dr Stockman's desk.

_Hmmmmmmm, that's unusual... Why would Dr Stockman have a switch for a terminal and hide it? Unless he has stuff on that terminal that he doesn't want anyone to discover!_, came Kirby's conclusion to his thoughts.

The terminal was located to Kirby's right. Turning the chair to face the terminal, Kirby found that there was no login menu. But he supposed that the switch accessed the terminal, negating a need for a login menu, and of couse, Dr Stockman probably did not take into account that someone would find the switch.

Putting his fingers onto the holographic keyboard that appeared along with the terminal, Kirby soon went through an archive of emails, seeing if they'd give any light. Accessing it, he went through them quickly, for he did not want to be caught red handed at Dr Stockman's desk. But for some reason, he opened an email, regarding a transfer of funds from Stockman's 'private' bank account' to a bank account in Terra Commonwealth Bank.

This intrigued Kirby somewhat, given that the contents of the message, and something in his mind, suggested that this 'private bank account' was not the bank account that Stockman would state was his own. But what did further intrigue him, was that the message also said that "_in exchange for this transfer, your benefactor will transfer several funds of his own to your private bank account_". So Kirby reckoned that Dr Stockman was getting outside help from someone for the Mouser Project.

Moving on, he then came to the last email, and opening it, gasping at finding, what seemed to be what had happened to his colleagues.  
><strong><em><br>To: Dr Baxter Stockman, Chief Executive Officer of Stocktronics.  
>From: Cerberus Intel.<br>_**Subject: Regarding Leaks.  
><strong>  
><em>_**__As per NAME REDACTED's instructions, we are calling to inform you, Dr Stockman, that we cannot keep using NAME REDACTED to take care of potential leaks within your company. NAME REDACTED is a valuable part of Cerberus operations, and thus, they are not solely focused around Stocktronics.  
><em>___So you will need to keep these leaks under control yourself. Cerberus, and by extension, NAME REDACTED himself ____has staked a lot investing in your Mousers, so you better get your company under control.__**_  
><em>**

_For your sake_.

Kirby now had a suspicion that, whatever Cerberus was, they were responsible for the disappearance of his colleagues, but now it seemed that they were all like him. They knew something that they shouldn't have.

And it had gotten them killed. It seemed that way, judging from what the email said.

And furthermore, Cerberus was investing in the Mouser Project. The reason why, was the big question. As well as what Cerberus was, what their goals were and what benefit would investment in the Mousers could bring them.

Focusing back to the present, Kirby hurriedly closed the terminal, got out from the seat, and looked at the time on his omni-tool. He cursed, for he was supposed to be back at his workspace 4 minutes ago. Looking around, he could not see an air vent, or a Keeper access point, or even a rubbish chute. The only way in and the only way out, was the door. Hiding off to the side, near the door, he then opened the door remotely with his omni-tool.

The two guards were there, and upon hearing the door open, looked back and were very curious at what had happened. So they went inside the room and went deeper in, not noticing Kirby O'Neil pinning himself to the wall off to the side. Kirby slid himself and out through the door, as the guards were looking in the wrong direction.

_Whew_.

Moving of, Kirby went to get to his workspace, trying to think of a story of how he was going to explain his absence to his supervisor.

But however, behind the desk, was a painting of a Mouser, and behind that painting, was a single camera, and as soon as it detected Kirby O'Neil's unauthorized access, had started recording.

* * *

><p>Doctor Baxter Stockman, having just gotten through yet another meeting with those damn Citadel officials and the many Intendants of the Citadel Wards over their petty concerns over their perceived ideas of problems with the Mousers, was now in the back of his personal luxury skycar, chauffeured by his bodyguard and chauffeur, Felix Carter, who was an operative with Cerberus, technically under his employ, but he did of course, answer to Stockman's backers. And so did all those operatives in Cerberus who worked within Stocktronics itself, helping getting his Mousers into production.<p>

But thinking about Cerberus did cause a slight facial twitch on Stockman's face, as severe annoyance came from that last correspondence that he received from his backers, or more specifically, a message relayed directly from the Illusive Man himself. That Kai Leng could not depended upon to keep disposing of any scientist who knew too much.

Urgh, and if that wasn't enough to give him a bad day, the fact that Kirby O'Neil was looking in places he shouldn't, added to his troubles.

_If only my own people could, just for once, mind their own business and focus on their jobs_!

But luckily, he had a solution. Several thugs, who were under his payroll. This could of course, keep any prying eyes away from Cerberus.

Further thoughts were interrupted, when the skycar suddenly slowed to a halt in midair, and vertically lowered itself onto a landing pad. Stockman couldn't feel this of course, the skycar was equipped with latest inertial dampeners, but he could see slightly out of the windows.

Coming to a stop, the skycar's doors opened, and Dr Stockman got himself out of the car, carrying his personal briefcase with him and heading into the building that carried the name of his company.

* * *

><p>Having taken the elevator, he entered his office, and when the doors closed, breathed out a sigh of relief, as the pressures of being Chief Executive Officer of a rising human electronics company, seemed to evaporate from his shoulders for just a moment. And setting eyes on his office, he looked around, to see that everything was just as he left it...<p>

_Wait a moment_...

The chair at his desk. It had been turned around to the right, facing his 'very private' terminal. And he left that chair facing the terminal that people normally saw.

Something was not right here.

Coming around to sit down at the private terminal, he opened the private terminal, to find out to his horror, that the emails had been looked through.

"Damn it!"

Slamming his fist down on the desk, Baxter growled. And angry, that someone knew about his Cerberus connections. He had enough problems as it is.

Deciding to find out who it was, he switched off the email, closed off his private terminal and went onto his 'public' terminal. Accessing it, he went to see if cameras had picked up who the intruder was. But he needed a specific time, so he asked his personal VI, Hooker, "Hooker, have the door to my office been opened since I left the building, and if so, what time was it"?

Hooker's reply was instant, "_Dr Stockman, your door was opened twice since you left the building. The first time was at 1540 hours and the second time was at 1602 hours_".

Hmmmmm, still in close proximity to each other, those time-stamps.

Accessing his cameras near his office, he fast forwarded the time to 1539 hours, seeing that the guards were leaving to attend to a security alarm that had sounded off at a Keeper tunnel, due to yet another Keeper tripping it up. _Those darn keepers are bloody nuisances_!

But soon, he soon saw Kirby O'Neil approaching the door, using his omni-tool and accessing the door, getting in.

Growling, at the thought of O'Neil sticking his nose into places he shouldn't, again, and that he just could not take a hint and back off, Stockman fast forwarded to 1602 hours, the guards having returned by around 1550 hours, but at around 1602 hours, they heard the door opening behind them, and looked inside. They went in to investigate, and soon, Kirby slipped out of the room, and began walking normally, trying not to draw attention to himself.

Cursing, Dr Stockman knew he had a serious problem, with O'Neil presumably having accessed his private terminal. He had to have done! Doctor Stockman slumped in his chair, exhaling noisily as he then took off his glasses and wiped them with a cloth, for he was in a dilemma.

For one thing, Stockman could not ask for Cerberus to call on the services of Kai Leng to dispose him, for he was needed in other places, and also other people would get suspicious, just like O'Neil. And he couldn't eliminate him, for Kirby O'Neil was a expert programmer, and Dr Stockman couldn't be getting rid of vital people needed for the Mouser Project. So for once, Stockman was at a loss of what to do. Kirby O'Neil couldn't be harmed, but other people might could be brought into line...

An empathy came to Stockman in a heartbeat. Accessing the personnel files, he went down onto Kirby O'Neil, and saw that he had a daughter, a 16 year old brunette by the name of April.

Yes, he'd get his personal thugs to get April O'Neil, hold her as collateral and use her as leverage against Kirby O'Neil. The sheer brilliance was proof, in Dr Stockman's very own eyes, of why he was such a genius!

And now, he needed to make a few calls...

* * *

><p><strong>Well, today, is a special day for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as from 30 years to this day, came Mirage Comics' First Issue of Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise has come a long way since then.<br>So, Happy 30th Anniversary!**

**Update (8/5/14): Oops! Actually May 5th is the day in which the first issue was released, but I released this chapter on May 4th, due to being off by one day too early and I didn't realize that at the time. Sorry folks!**

**Update (13/5/14): Just fixed up some grammar that I was sure that had been fine at first, but anyway, solved now.**

**Update (14/6/14): Fixed up some wording that was mixed up.**

**Update (30/7/14): Put in a additional line to further describe Stockman's frustration.**


	12. I Love It Up Here!

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware**.

* * *

><p><em>Mid-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, The Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th 2183<em>.

After having taken in the sights of the Serpent Nebula from their rooftop view, the Turtles were now on the move, jumping across the rooftops that were only four stories high from the busy streets of the Citadel.

Leo did raise concerns about the potential of the gap between rooftops being two wide for them to jump across, and that they'd fall down into a crowd or a busy street. But Donnie stated that the chances of that were very low due to the buildings being within close proximity to each other. And as such, the rooftops were in good jumping distance within one another.

They had marked the location near to the access hatch to the sewers, by a proximity beacon that Donnie had somehow constructed, and placed within his "bag of tricks", as Raph had put it, and moved out, intent on exploring a bit further out.

But whilst in the midst of jumping across, they then realized that they had jumped a much larger gap than before. Leo and Donnie managed to reach the other end, as did Raph, who only just managed to jump to the edge of the rooftop, and clumsily managed to regain his balance before moving on. However, Mikey's jump fell short and he fell down into the street, yelling until he crashed down into a dumpster, with a very loud crash and a shriek from a nearby cat. Leo, Donnie and Raph, who had stopped when Mikey fell short, cringed as they heard the crash and the shriek, with Raph commenting off-mindedly "Ouch..."

Leo moved to get down to Mikey, with Donnie and Raph following. Reaching a ladder, Leo got on it, and slid down the ladder to get down quicker, with Donnie and Raph following suit.  
>Reaching the dumpster, which had it's lid open, and some rubbish had been forced out due to Mikey's crash onto the street. Then, peering over to face Mikey, who had landed on top of the rubbish, Leo asked "You okay, Mikey"?<p>

Groaning, and then a slight yelp of pain, Mikey responded with "Yeah, I'll be okay... Just need to get out of this dumpster, get my bearings and we're good to good, bro".  
>Mustering the energy to get out of the dumpster, Mikey eventually got out of the dumpster. Then, Donnie noticed that his carapace was covered in rubbish, and Mikey sighed as he started brushing off all sorts of rubbish on his shell. Eventually, by the time he had gotten most of the rubbish off (the carapace still not entirely clean, but Mikey did promise that he'd take a wash when he got back to the lair), sounds of a crowd were coming from across the corner, from the nearby street. And the Turtles knew that they could not be seen by anyone whilst on the surface. Raph was about to climb up the ladder as quick as possible, but Leo put a hand on his shoulder, shook his head, and stated "You won't get up to the rooftop in time, Raph. We'll use the grappling hooks". Leo did expect Raph to protest or go off at him, but pouted when Raph then went in his usual gruff tone, "Well then, let's not waste anytime, Leo".<br>Getting their grappling hooks, which they had put on their belts earlier, the Turtles fired up at the rooftop edge, clipped the cable to their belt devices, and were eventually propelled upwards.

Now back on the rooftops, they had narrowly managed to avoid detection. All four turtles breathed a sigh of relief as they heard no indication that they were discovered. Of course, people may have wondered what the noise and all the mess was caused by, but that was pretty much all they would do, guess and wonder.

Leo then indicated his head, for his brothers to move on, "Well, then. Onward".

* * *

><p>Continuing to move across the rooftops, Donnie then suddenly asked "Errrrrr, Leo? Where exactly are we going"?<p>

"..."  
>Now Donnie, Raph and Mikey's attention were all solely on Leo, who struggled to find an answer. And when Donnie probed further, he then admitted that he had no idea where he was going.<p>

Everyone skidded to a halt.

The first response came from no other than Raph, of course, "What the hell, Leo? You'e the one leading us, and yet you don't know where the hell we're going? I know that if I was the leader, I know where we'd be going"!  
>Leo had to step his foot down on Raph, as he stated furiously, "No, you wouldn't, Raph! In case you haven't noticed, we haven't been up to the surface our whole lives! And the only time we've seen the surface world, is on the vids! So excuse me if I don't know where we're going! It's not like I can conjure a map of the entire Citadel out of thin air"!<p>

Raph glared at his elder brother, growled and it seemed like that they would come to blows, but Donnie coughed and said "Urrr, guys, I actually have a solution to all of that, if you would all care to listen. It might solve our problem on where to go".

Even though continuing to glare at each other, they soon faced Donnie, who shuffled uneasily, but recomposed himself. Leo was about to ask what Donnie's solution was, but Raph, whilst looking around, soon noticed that Mikey was nowhere to be seen.  
>Now worried, Raph tapped Leo's shoulder.<br>Leo, who was still facing Donnie, went "Not now, Raph"!  
>"Urrr, yes now, actually, because Mikey's just dropped out of sight..."<p>

Leo and Donnie's response was instant.

"**WHAT?**"

Leo couldn't believe this. Why had Mikey chosen to wander off, of all things? But he couldn't think about that now, they needed to find him before he did something stupid.

Of course, Mikey could not have gotten far, because they had seen him last on this rooftop a while ago. He must have left when Leo and Raph were about to get into an argument or when Leo was about to question Donnie.

* * *

><p>Four stories down, at a back alley near a busy Citadel street, was Mikey, who had wandered to the edge of the rooftop and smelt something. That smell was warm, and seemed like that it came from food.<br>And given that his bros were in the middle of their discussion, he was sure that they wouldn't mind if he wondered to see what the smell was coming from.

He had slid down the ladder, and now was near a backdoor. Opening it, he knew that he'd never hear the end of it from Leo if he got spotted by anyone, so he stealthily used all the available cover. The temperature was now very hot, so Mikey somehow guessed that he was near a kitchen of some sort. Moving away from it, due to that there were voices behind it, and he'd get noticed if he went into there, he soon backed off, until his shell came into contact with something.  
>Turning around to look at it, it was a white rectangular box. Curious, Mikey put his hands near it and found it to be quite warm. So it was food of some sort. Then, sudden noise was increasing, indicating that someone was coming, so Mikey absent-mindedly took the box with him, and left via the backdoor, keeping his eyes on the door to the kitchen.<p>

When he finally left the backdoor, he breathed out a almost silent "thew..."

"Had fun in there, did you, Mikey"?  
>"YIKES!"<br>Jumping and landing on his shell with a yelp, the box flew out of his hands, and he soon found himself face to face with his elder brothers. And all of them had very stern looks, well, Donnie did. Leo had a very serious scowl on him, as did Raph. Donnie then caught the box, and read the top of the cover.

"Hmmmmm, you got a pizza, eh, Mikey"?  
>"A what"?<br>"A pizza. Invented in Naples, Italy..."

Leo butted in with "Errr Donnie, I hate to interrupt you, Mr walking encyclopedia, but we need to get onto the rooftops, out of sight".  
>Donnie scowled at Leo's interruption, but Raph intervened, "yeah! For once, our fearless leader's right, so come on!"<p>

* * *

><p>"You took a really big risk down there Mikey! You know damn well that we have to stay away from the inhabitants of the surface world! What if someone had spotted you? What then? You do know what Master Splinter instructed us to do"!<p>

Mikey, annoyed at Leo spouting his usual 'Master Splinter says...', went "YES! YES! I know damn well. I got it the first 100 times! And anyway, I had it covered at that pieezzaa place".  
>Donnie, annoyed at something that was not accurate, as usual, butted in with "Ah, technically Mikey, pizza is smelt with P, I, Z, Z, A, and is pronounced...", but stopped when Raph glared at him with a look, telling him to stop.<br>Rolling his eyes, Donnie fell silent.

Leo then continued on, "look, Mikey, it's just we cannot be discovered by the inhabitants. And I would not want anything to happen to you, or Donnie, or even Raph. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you three".

Looking at Donnie and Raph's shocked looks, he went "Yes, this goes for you two, as well".

Mikey, feeling a bit guilty at making Leo worry about him, sighed and went "I'm sorry, bro...".

Leo, didn't say anything, but patted a hand on his little brother's shoulder, showing that he was forgiven.

And soon, Mikey then said "So what's in this box, I wonder"?  
>When Leo posed a questioning look at Mikey, his little brother indicated his head to the white rectangular box that Donnie carried.<br>Opening it, they then came face to face with a circular food, with cheese, tomato and pepperoni on top. And not any sort of food that the brothers ever saw, well, except for Donnie. He seemed to have knowledge of this 'pizza'.  
>Donnie noticed all three of the brothers were now looking at him, with the expectation of him stating what he knew, and Donnie compiled, stating "Well, it seems to have the very basic toppings, and it doesn't contain anything you don't like. It should be safe to eat, the package stated that this pizza is levo-amino, so we can eat it without worry".<br>Raph, huffed and went "Ah, hello? Dorkatello, I think you need to refresh my memory. Levo-amino is what now"?  
>"Levo-amino acids are part of biochemistry. Turians and Quarians are dextro-amino, so they can't eat this pizza..."<p>

Mikey, bored with Donnie's 'geekspeak', went "Argh, let's try it already! If it's safe to eat, then I shall be the first! Michelangelo is Dr Tastenstein"!  
>When Mikey picked up a slice, Donnie protested, "Tastenstein is not a real word, Mikey"!<p>

Ignoring him, Mikey took the slice in both of his hands and opened his mouth, to eat it. And when he bit down on the slice, he had to control his tolerance to the heat of the slice (which he managed), and furthermore, it seemed that, to him, his taste spuds exploded.  
><em>Wow, this is delicious! No, delicious doesn't even begin to describe the awesomeness of this pizza!<em>  
>Chewing on the slice, he then suddenly let out a belch, which his brothers noticed.<br>Leo asked "Is it disgusting"?  
>Mikey, still reeling in the awesomeness, then gave Leo a flat look that stated 'Really'?<br>And he said it clearly, "Disgusting? Are you kidding? Hell, no, it's awesome! Come and have some"!

Soon, all three of the brothers were dishing in on the other slices, with Raph stating "I never thought I'd taste anything that's better than soup and noodles, but this is amazing"!

Donnie, seemingly dumb-shocked at Raph's choice of words, went "Amazing? Amazing doesn't even describe pizza! It's awesome"!

Leo, tried to say something, but it was muffled from having stuffed pizza into his mouth, for he also loved it. And he kept on chewing on, intent on savoring the moment, as well as the taste.

Mikey, then finished his slice, threw his hands in the air, and yelled "I LOVE IT UP HERE"!

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there's that. A new chapter for you guys to enjoy. I completed this around thursday, but I decided to wait around for Sunday, so I hope this is worth the wait.<strong>

**Anyways, be sure to leave a review, and see you next time.**


	13. The Prize is Acquired

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

* * *

><p><em>400 Block, Mid-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th 2183<em>.

At one of the many apartments at the 400 Block, the door opened and out came April O'Neil, having finished her homework assignment with Irma.  
>Having said her goodbyes and that she'll see her at school tomorrow, April prepared to get home, which was on the 498 Block.<p>

She walked down to the skycar lobby four floors down, where several Rapid Transit skycars were parked, and ready to transport passengers to anywhere on either the Presidium or the Wards.  
>The walk down the stairs to the skycars took around 3 minutes at a hurried pace. But when she got to the lobby, all the skycars were gone.<p>

"Great. Just great..."

Sighing, she started walking, intent on not wasting any time in getting to the 498 Block.

She failed to notice that there was a single Turian, with barefaced markings and wearing a suit, watching her intently like a predator would watch it's prey before going for the kill.  
>And soon, that same Turian, got his omni-tool out and spoke into it, "The prize is acquired, leaving the 400 Block, Mid-Ward District, on her way to the 498 Block. The plan is go".<p>

* * *

><p>Now walking through the busy streets of the Citadel, where dozens of humans, Asari, Salarians, Turians, a few Elcor, Volus and Hanar, as well as some Drell and Quarians were mingling, street vendors calling out for anyone to try out their prepared food or drink that came from all corners of Citadel space, and the constant hum of skycars passing over the street could be heard.<p>

This went on for a while, so April took a backstreet, not noticing that she was being watched the whole time, by certain individuals who reported on their sightings of April O'Neil and where she was going, on their omni-tools, to a unknown recipient.

And as April walked down the backstreets, she then found her route blocked, by two turians, the one on the left shorter than the one on the right, but both with barefaced markings. They were both standing up straight and they looked like they were waiting for someone, but what she didn't like, was that they had their focus solely on her the moment she walked into their view.

When she stopped walking, the taller Turian, who was dressed up in armor, like his smaller companion, spoke first "We've been waiting for you, human".

Nervously, April stuttered out, "Why? What, what, what do you want"?  
>And she started backing off slightly.<p>

The two Turians chuckled, and April didn't like the way they did so. So she went off in a sprint, intent on running away from these Turians.

But due to keeping her focus on the Turians, she ran right into someone and fell onto the ground.

Turning to look at what she bumped into, April saw three humans.  
>One of them was a really tall muscular bald man, who looked like a wrestler. The second, was corpulent, with brown hair and a dumb face. The third and final one, was skinny and had red spiky hair.<p>

All of them had very smug looks, as the tall bald man said in a mocking tone, "Hey there, princess"!  
>His two compatriots chuckled.<p>

Soon, the two Turians came up alongside the three men. The taller Turian addressed his shorter compatriot, "Do you have it"?

The shorter Turian nodded his head and got out from one of his armor hatches, a syringe filled with orange liquid. Looking at the syringe, the taller Turian indicated his head towards April, and the shorter Turian's mandibles made what passed for a smile in Turians.

The two Turians, and three humans, now most undoubtably thugs, closed in on April, who crawled backwards until she hit the wall right behind her. Feeling trapped, the only thought that came up in her mind, was to scream.

And she did. As loud as her vocal cords could allow.

* * *

><p>"Well guys, it's getting late. We better best be heading back now".<p>

Several groans followed Leo's order, and they prepared to go back the way they came, to the lair.

They had been jumping across the rooftops for a good while now, and Leo had only just noticed that they had gone past the 2 hour limit that Splinter had stated, and he could only imagine what was going through Splinter's thoughts right now.

But as they prepared to move out, a loud scream was heard. The Turtles stopped in their tracks, and Donnie perked up at the scream, and instinctively ran towards it, immediately running into a sprint. Leo immediately followed, with Mikey and Raph following.

But Leo had not counted on that Donnie, was running faster than he usually did, and with such vigor, more so than his training under Splinter. And that was saying a lot.

_Woh, he's fast. More so than I've seen him ever before. How the shell does one scream make Donnie run so fast_?

After jumping over 2 rooftops, Donnie came to a stop and looked over the edge.  
>Leo caught up with Donnie, grabbed his shoulder and whispered harshly, "What the shell was that all about, Donnie"?<br>Donnie silenced him with a finger to his lips and then pointed down onto the backstreet below. And Leo saw what he saw.

There were three humans, and two Turians, all of whom were in the midst of trying to pin down a young human girl, who was struggling to get free from their grip, as a short Turian tried to inject something into her neck with a syringe. But she was really making things difficult for them.  
>"C'mon, lemme go"!<p>

Leo, then looked over to Donnie, who then drew his right hand to supposedly draw his Bō staff out from it's sheath. Leo immediately grabbed his hand, and as Donnie looked at him, shook his head.  
>Donnie, was beyond furious, as he went "What the shell do you think you're doing, Leo? We've got to save her"!<p>

Shaking his head, Leo's voice was calm as he put a hand on Donnie's shoulder and said "It's not our fight Donnie. I repeat, not, our, fight. I know it's hard for you to accept but we cannot get involved. And you know damn well we cannot be seen by the humans! Have you forgotten Master Splinter's instructions"?  
>Growling, Donnie shook Leo's hand off his shoulder and replied furiously "No, I haven't, Leo, but I will not stand by while you sit back and watch as a girl gets kidnapped before our very eyes like a darn coward"!<p>

At this point, Mikey and Raph, who were right behind, muttered "Burn...", as Leo's eyes dangerously narrowed and he growled.  
>One of the rare things that would set Leo right off, was to call him a coward. And it showed, as Leo clenched his fists hard.<p>

But Leo went "Donnie, I don't want to hear one more word from you. We're all going back to the lair, end of. We're late enough as it is, and Splinter..."  
>He did not get time to finish, as Donnie silently got his Bō staff out from it's sheath, held it with both hands, turned, ran and jumped off the rooftop edge right into the backstreet.<p>

Donnie had presumably landed near the thugs, instead of attacking instantly, because Leo, Raph and Mikey could hear one of the humans, "What the hell is that"?

_Urgh, well, might as well help get Donatello out of trouble_..., was the only thing going through Leo's thoughts as he sighed, indicated Raph and Mikey to follow him (the two of them nodding in turn), and soon, the three Turtle brothers jumping off the rooftop down to land alongside Donnie.

Upon landing, Leonardo unsheathed both his Ninjatō and held them in a relaxed ready position, whilst Donatello held his staff in a defensive stance after twirling it in both his hands. Raphael cracked his knuckles, then unsheathed his Sai from his belt and held them in a offensive stance, anxiously awaiting the opportunity to strike. Mikey then gave off a familiar glowing blue aura, both in anticipation as well as in preparation to use his biotics, and unholstered his twin nunchaku from their holsters and held them at the ready.

The thugs, even though surprised by the arrival of three more Turtles, after being surprised by one Turtle, took one good look at them holding their weapons and laughed as they drew their Banshee assault rifles and Striker pistols, obviously thinking that because whoever was facing them did not have guns of any kind, they were pretty much at a severe disadvantage.  
>One of the human thugs, the skinny one with red spiky hair, remarked to the two Turians, "Well, well, well, and I thought you Turians were ugly"!<br>The taller Turian scowled angrily, glaring at the skinny human, and refocused on the four Turtles in front of him, "The feeling's mutual, human. And who the hell are they"?, indicating his head towards the Turtles.  
>The fat human went "Probably a bunch of wannabes, wearin froggy costumes"!<br>The reply came from the skinny red haired human, "Hey, they look like they've got shells on them! Hell, they look like Turtles"!

The tall muscular bald man, finally stated confidently, with a smug grin, "Well, in any case, you're going down freaks! Your karate gimmicks won't save you from our heat sinks! Especially wearing stupid Turtle costumes"!

Leonardo allowed a smirk to appear on his face, as he thought to himself, _Well, they're wrong. We're not wearing costumes_.

Nodding his head, the four Turtle brothers yelled out a battle cry of sorts as they leapt right at the thugs.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, well well. The Turtles are about to have their first battle.<br>I was planning on having the fight scene in this chapter, but I figured that I'd give that a miss and leave it for the next chapter. Doing a chapter can be draining on your creative mind sometimes, especially when in the midst of a crossover series.**

**But anyways, don't forget to leave a review, and see you next time.**

**Update (27/5/14): Forgot to put in something.**


	14. The First Fight

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>Backstreet near 468 Block, Mid-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, The Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th, 2183<em>.

Once the Turtles leapt towards the three human thugs, they kicked out with their legs at the thugs, eventually making contact, causing them to be knocked back and slide across the floor, dropping their Striker pistols.

The Turian thugs, backed off, hoping to put some distance between them and these 'Turtles' to shoot at them with their Banshee assault rifles. And once they were at a reasonable distance, they brought up their Banshees, aimed down the sights and put their fingers on the triggers, ready to squeeze.

Leonardo saw this, and quickly got out from his belt, a single happō, which he threw, right at the Turians' faces. When the happō exploded, the metsubushi powder blinded the Turians, who became disorientated at their sudden loss of vision, giving the Turtles opportunity.

Donatello and Michelangelo closed in, their weapons at the ready. Donnie swiped his Bō staff at the taller Turian's legs, striking the known pressure points, which caused the Turian to fall to the ground.

Mikey, heading for the shorter Turian, swung his nunchaku and began giving off a glowing blue aura as he harnessed the eezo modules within him, careful not to overload his biotic amps. Swinging both his nunchaku towards the Turian's Banshee, the biotically enhanced nunchaku made contact with part of the main body as well as the buttstock of the rifle, smashing it into small fragments that went flying in all sorts of directions and giving the Turian, as well as Mikey, some small cuts. The smaller Turian also cried out as one of the fragments hit his eye, stinging it. With his weapon now useless, the Turian dropped the rifle, causing it to hit the ground with a clanging sound.

Mikey's glowing blue aura faded away, as he wrapped the nunchaku's kusari around the Turian's left wrist, pulled the handles down, pulling the Turian over his shell and shoulder, as he made the Turian crash down onto the floor on his back.

With the Turians groaning in agony on the floor, Donnie and Mikey rejoined Leo, who was calm and ready, and Raph, who was beyond anxious to go and 'kick some serious shell'.  
>And soon, the three human thugs, got up off the floor, grabbed their Striker pistols of the ground, hoping to use them against the Turtles.<br>But the four Turtles, got their shuriken from their belts and threw them at the thugs, the four pointed shuriken soon slicing and embedding themselves in the arms of the thugs, blood spurting out.

This caused the thugs to cry out, dropping their weapons, as they clutched their bleeding shooting arms in agony. Well two of them anyway. The tall, bald, muscular thug had only been sliced, and it didn't seem to hamper him one bit.

Reaching for his back, he soon produced a Hurricane shotgun, and prepared to use it against the Turtles. But Leo, acting quickly as the thug brought his shotgun up, swung both his Ninjatō at the weapon, and pushed upwards to make it aim away from his brothers, forming an 'X' shape underneaf the weapon. And Raph, quickly took action, as he saw an opportunity, and kicked the thug right into his stomach.

Unprepared, the thug kneeled down in pain, as he groaned.

Leonardo sheathed both his Ninjatō, now letting the Hurricane drop to the ground, but still kicking it away, soon analyzed the whole situation.

"Ah, yeah! It's Turtles 1! Scumbags 0! How's that for kicking some serious shell"?  
>That could have only come from Raphael, who took it onto himself to celebrate, but Leonardo set to remind him, putting a hand on his shoulder.<p>

"Raph, they were just mere street thugs, with more brawn than brains. Just, don't be overconfident next time, okay"?

Growling, Raph went "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya". Walking off, Leo swore that he could have heard Raph mutter under his breath angrily, "Splinter Jr always has to ruin the fun..."

* * *

><p>April O'Neil, was confused. Firstly, she had been attacked by two Turians and three humans, who were after her for some reason, and then, came someone or someones, who interrupted the fight, saving her from a kidnapping. She hadn't gotten a good look at her savours for the lighting back there wasn't good, but as the four of them walked towards the light, she went "Oh, oh, thank you, thank you...' And very much so, her eyes widened and she started panicking, as she now laid eyes on four green beings of some sort, and she swore that she could see the outline of a shell on their backs.<p>

Four green beings, of different height, different physical attributes, different weapons and different mask colors. Right out in front of her, calmly.

April fainted.

* * *

><p><strong>Urgh, writing a fight scene is really difficult, especially since you're trying not to make the Turtles seem a bit too overpowered, and also not to make them lose.<strong>

**So how did the Turtles' first battle go? I really hope I didn't make them a bit overpowered.**

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review, and see you next time.**


	15. Tale of a Rat, and his four Turtles

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect does not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>"The Lair", the Sewers under Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th, 2183<em>.

It had been a whole 2 and a half hours, traveling down the sewers to back to the lair. And the Turtles had a passenger in tow.  
>Well, Donnie did, over Leo's fierce objections.<p>

Everyone could remember it well...

* * *

><p><em>When the human girl fainted, Mikey walked over to her, went down on one knee to look down at her, and turned back to face his brothers, asking "Can we keep her"?<br>_  
><em>Leo and Raph slapped a hand on their faces, while Donnie went over to check her vitals. Putting a hand on her head, and then feeling her pulse, he was satisfied, and then proceeded to pick her up in his arms.<em>  
><em>Leo took notice, hoping that Donnie wasn't doing what he thought he was going to do.<em>

_"Donnie, what exactly do you think you're doing"?_  
><em>"What do you think, Leo? I'm going to take her to the lair..."<em>  
><em>"No, you most will certainly not, Donnie! We cannot take her to the lair! Splinter's instructions are perfectly clear..."<em>  
><em>"Yeah, I got it the first thousand times, Leo-nar-do! It's just that those thugs were after her for some reason, and I can't stand by while something bad happens and we didn't do anything about it! And anyways, in case you haven't noticed, those thugs arn't going to stay on the ground for long, so we've got to move"!<em>  
><em>Leo looked over Donnie's shoulder and saw that he was right. The thugs wouldn't stay on the ground for long, so it was about time to make themselves scarce.<em>  
><em>Growling, he saw that Donnie wasn't going to bulge on his stance on the girl that he carried, in his arms bridal style, so he reluctantly stated, "Fine! She's your baggage, but if Splinter gets angry, I'll make sure that it's on your head, Donatello"!<em>

_A snort, and Raph commented "Wow, the fearless leader finding someone else to blame. Yeah, great leadership there, Leo"!_  
><em>Snarling, he stopped when he saw that some of the thugs stopped groaning.<em>  
><em>He then went "We haven't got time to talk about this! Let's move"!<em>

_The four Turtles, with a young human teenage girl in tow, moved out to get to the nearest sewer access point and to get back to the lair. Leo looked at Donnie, and the girl he carried, and muttered under his breath, "Splinter is so going to kill us for this"_.

* * *

><p>Now, in the living room, the Turtles were now crowding the couch, where Donnie had laid down the girl and put a pillow under her head. Mikey was looking over her in wonder, whilst Donnie was on one knee, next to her and checking her, whilst Raph stood a bit further out, watching the whole scene. Leo, was pacing around, but the silence was dragging on and wearing out his patience.<p>

His patience worn out, Leo stopped and went, "I cannot believe I let you even talk me into this, Donnie! First off, you go jumping in without a second thought, not thinking it through, which I know you don't do, and then you brought this human girl to our lair! I mean, you're the most logical of all of us, and you know that humans or any other inhabitant, will never understand us! Why should this girl be any different, Donnie"?

Donnie, angry, went "Leo, please, she was scared, she was frightened for her life and I wasn't going to stand by and let her be kidnapped by some thugs, for whatever reason"!  
>Leo, continued "Whatever is going on between that girl and those thugs, is none of our business. Donnie, of all of us, I expected better from you. You put our family, at risk"!<p>

Donnie could not believe what he was hearing, and in a furious pace, went up into Leo's face and shouted "How can you be so heartless, Leo? How can you not want to do anything about what just happened"?  
>Apoplectic, Leo snarled and shouted louder "HEARTLESS? HEARTLESS? Do you honestly think I like it when crime happens up on the surface world? Do you honestly think I don't feel anything about what happens up there? Do you honestly think I like standing by when something happens to all those innocent people? Well, I don't, Donnie! But this stunt, could have jeopardized the safety of our family! I mean, what were you thinking"?<p>

But before anyone could say anything more, Leo's blood drained as he heard his Sensei enter the living room, inquiring about the noise.  
>"WHAT IS ALL THIS NOISE ABOUT"?<p>

All four Turtles turned to face their rat master, who had a deep frown, and was looking at his sons expectingly for an answer.  
>"Well? I'm waiting for an explanation".<p>

In Splinter's eyes, his sons were trying their utmost to avoid eye contact and were pretty much nervous, given that they seemed to find certain things in the room more interesting to stare at.  
>Raphael was staring at the floor, as was Leonardo. Michelangelo was staring at the vid screen, even though it wasn't on, but that wasn't very peculiar. And Donatello...<p>

Splinter's eyes widened, as he laid eyes on the human girl laid out on the couch, and in conjunction with slamming his walking stick on the ground, shouted "WHO BROUGHT HER IN OUR HOME"?  
>His sons flinched, and all shouted out excuses.<br>Slamming his walking stick on the ground once again, he shouted "**YAME!**".  
>Now silent, and nervously looking at Splinter, his sons awaited Splinter's wraith, so to speak.<br>Splinter then went, calmly, "I, am only going to ask this once, my sons. Who. Brought. That Girl. Into Our Home"?  
>Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo's heads turned towards Donatello, who straightened himself up and faced Splinter, gulping and saying "I did, Sensei".<br>Eyebrow raised, Splinter asked "And why did you do so, Donatello"?  
>Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo were attempting to move further away slowly, but Splinter slammed his walking stick on the ground once again and glared at his sons. They all collectively gulped.<br>Facing his most brightest and tallest son, Splinter asked once more, and Donatello replied, nervously, "Well, you see, sensei, we were about to head back to the lair, when I heard her scream. I rushed over..."

* * *

><p>"...And that's just about the gist of what happened, Sensei".<p>

"Hmmmmmmmmmmm..."  
>Splinter, now leaning on his walking stick, murmured, and thought deeply about what Donatello had told him. But what was most disturbing, was that even though his sons were victorious in a fight, they had been seen. And now, it was time to set them straight.<p>

"My sons, your performance in battle is very commendable".  
>He could see their faces brightening up, but now came his reprimand.<br>"But, however, a ninja is not meant to linger around for extended battle. He is meant to strike hard and fade away into the shadows. You all, my sons, have failed in this regard".  
>Turning his attention onto Leonardo, he went "Leonardo, I expected better control over your brothers. You will still need to learn on how to master respect from your brothers, for you cannot effectively lead, unless you master this".<br>"Hai, Sensei".  
>"And Donatello, even though your actions in saving the girl are commendable, I am still highly disappointed in you. You have placed this family at risk because of your foolhardy actions. Exercise better restraint, and see the bigger picture, Donatello".<br>"Hai, Sensei".  
>"And now, my sons..."<p>

All conversation stopped, when Splinter and the Turtles heard groaning. Their eyes widened.  
><em>She's waking up<em>!

* * *

><p>April groaned, as she slowly opened her eyelids, taking notice that she was laid down, on what seemed to be a couch, her head on a pillow that smelled like it hadn't been washed. She then sensed that she wasn't alone and thus, stood up straight and turned around.<p>

Her eyes widened, and she squealed at the sight beheld in front of her. A 4 foot rat dressed in robes, standing upright, with a walking stick in hand, looking at her calmly!  
>And even more so, she saw four large green beings right alongside the rat.<br>This time, she screamed.

They screamed back, which went on for a bit, until they eventually found the energy to calm down.  
>But April on the other hand, was no closer to being calm. She was nervously looking at the rat and the four green beings, who she saw, from a shell on their backs and their beaks, were Turtles.<br>And soon, April found that she was attempting to pinch herself. And even after opening and closing her eyes continuously, she was undoubtably most not in a dream.

The Turtles looked puzzled, but one Turtle, the shortest one with an orange mask, made a brave step in stepping a bit closer, but he stopped when April slightly backed off.  
>He spoke first and went "Hey, don't worry. We're not going to hurt you. It's okay". Looking at his face, she could see through his blue eyes, a spark of life that you'd find in teenagers. And he gave off a smile, which April was reluctant to reply back. They may have stated that they weren't going to hurt her, but she wanted to know who they were first before anything else.<br>So, April finally mustered out, "Ju-ju-ju-just what exactly are you? And where did you come from"?

The rat spoke, with a old, gentle tone, that somehow indicated that this rat was elderly, and she swore she could hear the traits of a Japanese accent.  
>"Young lady, if you will please, just sit down and allow us to sit down, I will tell you of who we are and where we have come from. I know our appearance is a lot to take in, but please, allow us to introduce ourselves. What is your name"?<p>

Sitting down, she took a deep breath, calming herself and replied, "April. April O'Neil".

Nodding his head, the rat gestured to the four Turtles, indicating for them to sit on the couch opposite to the one that the girl, April O'Neil, was now sitting down on. The four Turtles did so, all focused on her. It was sort of disconcerting, as if they've never seen a human before.  
>But shoving that thought aside, she then refocused her attention onto the rat, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor in between then went "My name, is Splinter. Yes, I am a rat, who can talk, walk and do things a normal rat cannot, but there are memories of when I was, what you might call, normal. For you see, back on Earth, in Japan, I lived under the care of Hamato Yoshi, a master of the ancient art of ninjutsu, as his pet rat. Whenever he trained or practiced his katas, I would mimic his movements in my cage".<br>"Then, on the date of December, 11th, 2167, I was on the Citadel's Factory District, at Tayseri Ward, searching for food within the sewers, when I came across a overhead grill, where four baby Turtles fell through in front of me".

The orange masked Turtle eagerly and unexpectingly, shouted out, "That was us"!  
>The other Turtles groaned, slapping hands to their heads, and Splinter turned around to glare at the orange masked Turtle, in what seemed to be like a glare that a father would give to his son. The turtle chuckled nervously, and found the floor suddenly very interesting.<br>Splinter continued on, "There were shouts on the surface, and soon, suddenly a canister smashed, right on top of the grill, disposing a glowing ooze, and dropping down on the Turtles. I quickly took action, gathering them up in a coffee can. I was then covered in the ooze as well, and taking them to my home, I suddenly felt unbearable pain, and I passed out".  
>April gasped, but Splinter went on, "And when I came too, I found that the Turtles had doubled in size, and so did I! The ooze had affected us all, changing us. But there was one change I did not expect. One of the Turtles, actually spoke, my name"!<br>"And soon, I found myself with the realization that life was much brighter for me. With the four Turtles as my sons, we found this lair a few weeks after, and we've lived down here ever since, not seeing or being seen by any of the inhabitants that live in the Wards. The inhabitants would never understand us, for we are different in so many different ways to them and they fear what is different. And I could not take anything to chance, so we have been living down here our whole lives".  
>"And due to the fact that the galaxy, is full of hostile forces, and a dangerous place, I began teaching my sons the art of ninjutsu, and all I have learned of this world. From a book of Renaissance artists and sculptors that I found in the sewers, I gave my sons their respective names", indicating them in turn.<p>

The Turtle with the blue mask, dark green skin, dark blue eyes and two swords slung on his shell, "Leonardo", who stood and bowed to her respectively, then sat back down.  
>The Turtle with the purple mask, brownish green skin, chocolate brown eyes and a stick slung on his shell, "Donatello" gave off a smile, showing his gap teeth.<br>The Turtle with the red mask (but with a black mask slung around his right arm), forest green skin, emerald green skin, chips and scrapes all over his plastrons, and two weapons on his belt that she didn't know the name of, "Raphael" just looked at her, not giving away much.  
>And finally, the Turtle with the orange mask, dark lime green skin, light blue eyes, freckles on his child like face, and two handles linked together by a chain (there were two of these in a holster for them each), "Michelangelo" gave off another smile, as she looked at his eyes that had a sparkle of youth, eagerness and life in them.<p>

After noticing Splinter's cut ear and realizing something in Splinter's story that she missed, she went, "Wait a moment, er, Splinter, isn't it"?  
>'Splinter' nodded his head, indicating for her to continue, she then asked "How did you get from Earth to the Citadel in the first place? And how did you lose your ear"?<p>

Putting a hand under his chin, Splinter replied, "That, Miss O'Neil, is a story for another time".

Nodding her head, April then asked the Turtles, suddenly remembering what had happened in the backstreet, before fainting and then waking up in this place, "So, you guys, were the ones who saved me from those thugs? And you brought me to your lair"?.

When Leonardo nodded his head, Donatello then asked "Yeah, what did those thugs want with you"?  
>"I dunno. One moment, I was walking home from my friend's apartment, and I took a shortcut through the backstreets, then these two Turians, along with three humans, came to kidnap me..."<br>April shivered at the thought of being kidnapped, but on the other hand, was grateful to her savours, who were truly one of a kind.  
>So she said "I don't know why they wanted to kidnap me. But I am grateful for you saving me".<p>

Their eyebrows raised, quite surprisingly, and Leonardo asked, quite nervously, "You, don't think that we're weird and scary"?  
>Confused for a bit, realization came upon her at Leonardo's question, "Oh! Well, Leonardo..."?<br>"Just call me Leo for short. Only Master Splinter calls me Leonardo, and I'm kind of used to that, but please, do continue".  
>"Okay...", taking a deep breath, "Well, Leo, you all saved my life, who am I to complain"?<br>And soon, she felt surprise as Michelangelo, catapulted out of his seat, and hugged her, as he went "Wow! We've got a human friend! How cool is that"? April nervously smiled and went "oww, oww, you're squishing me"!  
>"Sorry". He let go, but sat down next to her, beaming at her. April smiled back.<br>And Michelangelo then went "I just only have one question". Splinter, interested, asked, "What is that, my son"?  
>"Can we keep her"?<br>The other three turtles groaned, slapping hands to their heads and Splinter sighed, "Teenagers..."

April smiled at the scene before her. It became clear that these Turtles and Splinter, were just like any other family. The Turtles were like teenage boys wherever you went, and Splinter, was more than just their teacher.  
>He was their father to these Turtles.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Well, anyways, that seems to me that this is the longest chapter I've done so far. And I had trouble trying to figure out how to write down this scene, hence the delay.<br>But I suppose, a refreshing change to the usual scenes you get in TMNT media where you just have the Turtles featured in present day, and then a scene displays their past. Instead, I showed the prologue first showing the appropriate scenes, then jumped to the present.**

**But anyway, be sure to leave a review and see you next time!**

**Update (15/7/14): Surprised it took me this long to get this chapter a once-over. But anyways, some fixing of some grammar and some things I wasn't satisfied with.**


	16. Salvaging the Mess

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>Dr. Baxter Stockman's Office, Stocktronics Building, Upper-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th, 2183<em>.

"So".

The two Turians, and three humans, in front of Dr. Baxter Stockman himself, collectively gulped, as he put both his hands on his desk, leant forwards as he stood out of his seat, and laid eyes on the thugs that were on his payroll.  
>Or were, when he was finished with them.<p>

"So, you buffoons", calmly indicating to the five thugs in front of him, "were unable, to get their hands, on one teenage girl, all because some martial artists in costume, outwitted you, despite the fact that you had guns and they didn't"?  
>Stockman then lost it completely, having vented all his anger in, and now was directing it right at them, shouting at the top of his lungs, "WHAT THE HELL DO I PAY YOU IDIOTS FOR? YOU HAD GUNS, AND YET THEY MADE COMPLETE FOOLS OUT OF YOU"! Just out of anger, Stockman furiously got a datapad, and chucked it in the direction of the lead thug, a tall bald guy, whose name he couldn't remember right now, and the datapad missed and hit the wall.<br>Stockman furiously thought to himself, _Argh! The O'Neil girl was my only hope in salvaging something out of the mess I'm currently in! Now, because of these idiots, things have gone straight to hell_!

As Doctor Stockman slumped down onto his seat, sighing, the corpulent brown haired thug then went, "So, Doctor..."  
>"WHAT"?<br>Nervously, he then stuttered out, "Errm, when do we get our pay"?

Stockman's eyes narrowed behind his spectacles, as he was dumbfounded by the idiot thinking that they still were going to get paid, despite the whole thing being a total disaster. He had now just reached the limit of his patience with these idiots and that dumb idiot in front was going to be bearing the brunt of his anger.  
>But he was beaten to it, as the tall bald thug, slapped his compatriot around the head, and whispered to him very harshly, "You better shut that big mouth if you wanna keep on living, so shut it"!<br>The idiot nervously asked, "What? What'd I do? What'd I do"?

His two compatriots and the two Turians, glared at him silently.

Baxter Stockman meanwhile, was feeling too drained of energy to deal with them, and as he sighed, he took off his glasses, got out a fibrecloth to absentmindedly wipe the lenses, and when that was done, he put them back on.  
>A few minutes of silence, and the tension was so thick, it could have been cut with a knife. And it was broken, by a bleeping sound on Dr Stockman's desk.<br>It was the signal for a call from his secretary.  
>Pressing the button nearby, his secretary's sweet, pleasant voice came on, "Dr Stockman"?<br>A sigh and, "Yes"?  
>"You have a visitor..."<br>"Well tell whoever it is to wait. I'm busy! Who is it, anyway? I don't remember scheduling a visit right this time".  
>A pause and, "It's Jean Tremblay from the Terra Commonwealth Bank".<p>

Stockman felt his blood go cold right at this moment. He knew who Jean Tremblay really was, and more importantly, who she reported to. If she was visiting, it was pretty important.  
><em>Urgh, that's all I need right now<em>!  
>Sighing, and knowing what would happen if he just ignored her, he went, "Send her up".<br>"Of course, Dr Stockman".

With the comm closed, Stockman dismissed the thugs, but not without stating that he wasn't finished with their discussion. They all quietly exited, and Baxter Stockman awaited Jean Tremblay's arrival.

And in four minutes, the door opened, to reveal Jean Tremblay, who was wearing a two piece business suit, all to look the part as being an official from a bank.  
>But Dr Stockman wasn't focusing on her suit. In fact, he was focusing on the scowl that she wore on her face.<p>

Putting the effort in to smile, Stockman started off, "Miss Tremblay, I wasn't expecting you anytime soon. I'm honoured by your presence. Please, sit down".  
>But she cut back at him, with a sharp voice, "Spare me with the pleasantries, Dr Stockman. I'll stand, thank you. And I'm here on official business".<br>In a bored voice, came the reply, "What sort of business"?

Her scowl increased as she went on, "Like the fact that there is a potential whistleblower within your company, who snuck into your own office, took a peak into things he shouldn't have done, and yet, you are not doing anything about it! Do I have to remind you that the people I work for put a lot of stake into funding your Mouser Project, Dr Stockman? And if you're expecting help from..."  
>"Yes, I know, I got correspondence from your boss, so I'm perfectly clear on that. And about Kirby O'Neil...-Wait a minute, how did you know he snuck into my office"?<br>A wicked smile came from Tremblay, which Stockman didn't like as she replied, "We have eyes and ears within your organization, as well as the office, Dr Stockman. Rest assured, it's all in the interest of ensuring that our interests are not at risk".  
>Dr Stockman wanted to chew out Tremblay for Cerberus putting monitoring devices in his office, but decided to let the matter drop. Cerberus was not an organization you wanted to be on the wrong side of.<br>Getting back to the situation at hand, Stockman boldly stated, "As for Kirby O'Neil, I know he snuck into my office..."  
>"Then, why have you not got rid of him, may I ask, Dr Stockman"?<br>"Because I can't keep on getting rid of potential brain and manpower. And more so, Kirby is very important to the success of the Mouser project. He's a programmer, you see, and he's essential on programming the software for the Mousers. And I had the brilliant plan to ensure compliance from him"!  
>"Had"?<br>A heavy sigh and, "Yes. You see, Kirby O'Neil has a 16 year old daughter, a Miss, April O'Neil. I thought that if I got Miss O'Neil and held her as leverage, Kirby might be more compliant to my demands. Anyways, I made a call to some hired help, that I occasionally use from time to time".  
>Frowning, Tremblay then picked up the rest of the conversation, "So, I'm guessing that these hired help that you mentioned, failed to grab Miss O'Neil"?<br>"That's the gist of it, yes".

Leaning closer to Dr Stockman's face, Jean Tremblay's face was very cold and emotionless. And then she went, "Those thugs, where are they now"?  
>"I dismissed them before you came in. They're most likely still in the building, I did tell them I wasn't finished with them". Facing up to address the VI, he ordered, "Hooker, those three humans and two Turians I had in my office before Miss Tremblay's arrival, send them up to my office straight away".<br>"_Of course, Dr Stockman_".

* * *

><p>It had now been a full 10 minutes, and Jean Tremblay had gotten the details from the thugs, about how four supposed martial artists in costume (well, the brown haired corpulent thug had described them as 'karate freaks with ninja weapons and froggy costumes', before the tall bald thug had corrected him, stating that they had been wearing Turtle costumes), had jumped in to intervene and disappear with the girl.<br>Stockman dismissing them, they were now free to leave the building, presumably relieved they wouldn't be killed, as part of 'no loose ends'. _They may have been idiots, but they still had their uses_, thought Stockman.

Back to the matter on hand, Jean Tremblay was assessing what she had been hearing, that the four supposed 'martial artists in costume', had outwitted five thugs, two of whom were Turians, whilst the rest were human. The thugs had weapons whilst the 'martial artists' had pretty much outwitted them and made them look like minimum wage mall cops. And she had listened to the thugs give out details on the 'martial artists' weapons as well as their tools (which Tremblay determined, were Shuriken 'throwing stars', and an exploding powder, called Metsubushi, concealed in hollowed out eggs, called happō).

Tremblay shook her head. They were getting sidetracked. They had gotten the information they needed. All they needed to do now, was to determine a course of action.  
>So she then stated, "Well, I'll need to get some more experienced hands to take this on. I'll need to make some calls".<br>However, Stockman knew that she was probably going to call her organization, and thus, he'd be pushed to the sidelines. So he wormed his way into assuring that April O'Neil will still be able to be used as leverage.  
>"If you're thinking of calling your bosses, forget it. We cannot link this to Cerberus. Any more moves made, will expose you. I know of some people..."<br>"And if you're thinking of calling in those goons, forget it, Dr Stockman! Your goons failed, and if you think..."  
>Stockman laughed heavily, and went, "Do you honestly believe that those idiots are the only goons I've got in my employ? Really? No, I know of several much more experienced goons who can take on these, 'Turtles'. Rest assured, they'll get the girl, Miss Tremblay".<br>"Yes, but the girl's missing, Dr Stockman"!  
>"In any case, regardless, Miss Tremblay, I believe that the O'Neil residence at the 498 Block is the first place to look at. I'm certain that the girl will appear over there at some point".<p>

A brief silence, as Jean Tremblay thought hard. Then she turned her attention onto Dr Stockman, and went calmly, "You better hope that your gambit pays off, Dr Stockman. Because if it doesn't, Cerberus will be taking over the situation. That is not negotiable".

Moving away to leave, Tremblay stated, "I've got other business to attend to. I'll check in with you later, Dr Stockman".  
>"But how will I call you if I need you here"?<p>

Stopping, and turning to face Stockman, she gave off a cruel smile, as she stated simply, "I'll know. One way or another. Good day to you, Dr Stockman".  
>Leaving, and with the door closing behind her, Dr Stockman sighed, as he let the tension that had been building over the course of his meeting with Jean Tremblay wash off.<br>He then took off his glasses, got a fibrecloth to wipe his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and then put his glasses back on.

It was now time to make a few calls...

* * *

><p><strong>Yep, Cerberus and Doctor Stockman are plotting, and as for April and the Turtles, that'll be on the next chapter.<strong>

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review, and see you next time.**

**Update (30/6/14): Fixed up grammar as well as added a few more lines.  
>Update (318/14): Improved and added some lines, for I made a mistake in describing the fact that the Turtles had guns, when in fact they didn't. Oops!**


	17. The 498 Block

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

* * *

><p><em>"The Lair", the Sewers under Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th, 2183<em>.

Things had now settled down in the lair, as April O'Neil was now in the middle of getting acquainted with this remarkable family, that lived down under the sewers, right under the noses of the many alien races of the Citadel.

"So, how have you guys managed to remain hidden in these sewers, with no one finding out about you"?

Splinter took her question, "It has not been easy remaining hidden, but of course, we've been lucky. So far. At first, I had feared that we would be discovered during the many years we lived down in the sewers, but then again, only the Keepers come down here to fix stuff down in the sewers, hence, no one comes down here, not without a reason. But still I dread of the day that we will be discovered.  
>"And furthermore, Miss O'Neil, we must discuss something important, regarding you".<br>"Me?"  
>"Yes. We've never had any contact or revealed ourselves to the inhabitants of the Citadel. You are the first being that has laid eyes on us in our current state. And by your presence here, I fear that we, my family, are in great danger, due to Donatello being you here".<p>

The tall, lean, purple masked Turtle with a gap tooth, called 'Donatello', responded to Splinter, "Sensei, I am sorry that I put the family in danger, just by bringing her here, but I wasn't going to stand by and let five thugs do whatever they want with her. It was the right decision to do, Master Splinter"!  
>Turning to face Donatello, and giving him a look, Splinter calmly replied, "Donatello, my son, I realize that you followed what was in your heart, and you bringing Miss O'Neil here to our home was what you thought to be the right decision, just remember this, my son. Even right choices and actions have consequences. Do you understand, Donatello"?<br>A sigh, closing his eyes, grasping his hands together and bowing later, came Donatello's response, "Hai Sensei".

Turning to face April once again, Splinter then said, "Miss O'Neil, you see, if you can keep a secret, and not tell anyone, and I mean everyone, of our existence, then me and my sons will be most grateful".  
>April went, "I swear, mister Splinter, I won't tell a soul, about you or your, umm, sons".<br>Splinter then looked at her for some sincerity in her words, and went, "I believe you, Miss O'Neil".

The blue masked turtle with two swords in two sheaths slung across his shell, the one called 'Leonardo', was puzzled and asked, "Arm, Sensei? How do you know if she's telling the truth"?  
>"I'm merely trusting my gut, Leonardo, and I've got a good feeling that Miss O'Neil will keep her promise".<br>April then added, "And it's not like anyone would believe me".  
>Raphael, the muscular, red masked turtle, then went, "Actually, she does have a point".<br>But Leonardo butted in, "Maybe. Maybe not. But still, the inhabitants knowing us, actually is not the thing that worries me".  
>Splinter, and the three turtles turned to look at Leonardo after his admittance, and watched as he continued on, "The thing that worries me, is those thugs, they might have been working for someone with an interest in Miss O'Neil".<br>The girl in question then butted in, "Ur, guys, please, just call me April. Only my teachers call me Miss O'Neil. I'm cool with you just calling me April".

Puzzled, Leonardo continued, "Okay then. There might be someone who hired the thugs due to some specific interest in April, and I'm merely wondering what sort of interest that someone might have on you, and if we might have just stepped into more trouble, just by merely rescuing you, April".  
>Donatello then added his two cents in, "Yeah, since when do thugs try and take down a lone human girl with a syringe"?<br>April then went, "Yeah, actually, you might have something, Leonardo... Or do you prefer Leo for short"?  
>"Leo will do. Go on, April".<br>"Because you see, I was on my way home to the 498 Block, when I took a short cut into the backstreet where you found me, and they were waiting for me, as if I was their intended target all along. And one of the thugs even said that they had been waiting for me".  
>The orange masked turtle, the one called 'Michelangelo', went, "Yeah, what would they want you for"?<br>April, shrugged, as she went, "I dunno. I'm a 16 year old human, who lives with her father, who works as a programmer for Stocktronics, and I can't seem to know why those thugs would even want me! Anyways, the fact is, you've saved my life, and I'm grateful... OH CRAP"!  
>All the turtles jumped, as she suddenly shouted, and Leonardo calmly replied, "What, what is it"?<br>"I'm supposed to be getting home soon. At around', looking at her omni-tool and checking the time, she cursed under her breath,'2 minutes ago. Damn, and I don't even know how far I am from the 498 Block".

Splinter took up the reins and went, "Yes, it is getting very late, and I would recommend that you be getting home, Miss O'Neil. My sons will take you to your home. Your family might be getting worried". Turning to face Leonardo, he went, "Get her home safely, Leonardo. Because I get the feeling that whoever wanted to take Miss O'Neil, might try again".

* * *

><p><em>7 Minutes later...<em>

They were now at the 498 Block.

Well, truthfully, they were on a rooftop of sorts, which lead into a storage room, that was part of some maintenance catwalks. This way, they would avoid anyone, on the way to her apartment.

It had been a while getting to this point, considering that Donnie was carrying April on the carapace of his shell. She had her head on Donnie's right shoulder, her arms slung around his chest, and her legs wrapped around his waist. So they had taken their time, around 7 minutes, to reach the 498 Block, whilst normally, it would have taken them 4 minutes to reach it.

On the rooftop, after allowing April to get off, they searched for a way in, when Donnie approached a access hatch, and started working his way via his omni-tool.  
>"Urgh, wish we had some omni-gel to slap onto this, and we'd be through this in no time", came Raph's remark, and at the finish of his statement, came a click and a thud, as the access hatch unlocked. And Donnie said, "Raph, it's an access hatch, not a high security door. Yes, I'd love some omni-gel as well, but it's not like that we get helpful objects littered about randomly down in the sewers"!<br>Opening the hatch, the group went down the ladder, into a storage room, and soon, the four Turtles were all focused, itching with anticipation as they stealthily moved with April, to her apartment.  
>Donnie, the last one down the ladder, had closed the access hatch behind him, whilst Leonardo, opened the door of the storage room, onto the maintenance catwalks.<p>

Luckily, no one was on here at this time, but it was still quite full of noises of the various inhabitants of the Citadel. Moving on, with purpose and swift silence, they managed to move across in no time at all, much to April's surprise, considering that these teenagers seemingly could flick from one personality to another.

Moving up two floors, they were soon at a catwalk above her apartment door. But there was a dilemma. A dozen people were passing along, and it would be awfully difficult for them to enter her apartment, without being seen. But Leonardo, soon reckoned that there might be an opportunity to get in. For he soon whispered to Donnie.

"Donnie, do you know if there's the possibility that we can temporary take down the lighting around here"?  
>"Hmmmmmm, well I think, if I can just find a service terminal somewhere, then I believe I can do so, Leo, but no promises".<br>"That's okay. Now go, and see if you can find one".

Donnie, moved off silently, and went to find the service terminal that would take down the lighting. He moved along a catwalk, to go further down, due to the service terminals being further floors down, and left the three turtles' and April's sight once he went through a door.

Several moments later, and then, Mikey got so bored, that he decided to start poking at Raph. At first, he tried to ignore it, but Mikey was becoming much more creative on where and how much he was poking. Soon enough, Raph, resorted to slapping away Mikey's finger, but when Mikey wouldn't stop, he growled and grinded his teeth, and was about to make himself clear, when the lights went off. Soon, the voices of the crowd down below rose up, as some murmured, some were panicking, some screamed (presumably thinking that the Citadel's vital systems were going down, most likely) and all, were moving around.  
>Soon, the Turtles, jumped over the railing, and landed swiftly on the floor, near the door of April's apartment, and soon, Raph brought April down with him.<p>

Now at the door, April moved the Turtles aside and opened the door to her apartment. Leo, Raph and Mikey entered, and soon, Donnie, who whilst in the middle of panting, presumably having ran to this point and jumped the railing, entered as well.  
>The door closed behind them, and when the lights came back on, no one had noticed four Turtles and one human teenage girl who had entered an apartment.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Skycar Lobby, Ground Floor, 498 Block, Mid-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.

A skytruck, bearing the logo of Stocktronics, due to the skytruck being a company skytruck, landed within the lobby. Within the back, were a single Salarian, two Krogan and two Turians.  
>The Salarian, after checking his Elkoss Combine Edge pistol, stated, "Okay then. The apartment we're looking for is on the sixth floor. Let's move up there. Our boss wants this girl and I mean, really wants her. The money he's offering pretty much speaks for itself. So no fooling around, and be on the lookout for any accomplices accompanying the girl. Understood"?<br>After curt nods from the two Krogan, as well as the two Turians, the Salarian exited the rear of the skytruck first, and soon, the two Krogan and the two Turians followed.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, then. Things are set for another confrontation with our four Turtles at the 498 Block.<strong>

**Anyways, see you around next time.**

**Update (27/6/14): Added which district the 498 Block is in.**


	18. Attack at the 498 Block

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

* * *

><p><em>Sixth Floor, 498 Block, Mid-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th, 2183<em>.

The elevator dinged as it reached the sixth floor. The doors opened with a swish and out came a Salarian, two Turians and two Krogan, all wearing electrician worker gear and carrying large bags. The people around took one glance before going about their own business, convinced that these electricians were on their way to investigate the problem with the lighting that had happened 2 minutes ago before they switched back on.  
>But these were not electricians. For one, they were walking in a hurry, their facial expressions were stoic (well, as stoic as a Salarian, Krogan and Turian could manage) and hardened, their body postures were very rigid and guarded, and most of all, their eyes, which were darting around and taking in the details of the sixth floor, did not show any signs of boredom and the life sucked out of them by the constant demanding and tiring work that a construction worker underwent on the Citadel in one day.<p>

Then, they went up the ladder to the catwalks, taking their bags with them.

Soon, onlookers turned away, hopefully satisfied that the electricians would solve whatever problem was apparent.

Now, out of sight, the Salarian, and his compatriots, walked further up the catwalk, near a specific apartment. The apartment of their target. A one Miss April O'Neil.

Setting their bags on the floor, they also took off their electrician worker gear, revealing Combat hard-suits. Unzipping the bags, they soon produced Elkoss Combine Edge pistols, Scimitar shotguns, Avenger assault rifles and a Reaper sniper rifle, all of which unfolding from their compact states.

* * *

><p>Even though she was puzzled at why her father had not come back yet, she had faced the possibility of waiting for him on her own. But her four Turtle savours, who accompanied her, volunteered to keep her company until then. April was hesitant, convinced that her father might walk in on them and see them, but Mikey had given a response that was usually in the line of his brothers expected from him.<br>"Hey, don't sweat it, girl! We're nin-jas. Us bros can vanish into the night, unseen from all other dudes out there".

His brothers had rolled their eyes, giving a hint, that he was constantly light-hearted 24/7 (even on the Citadel, humans still adhered to the 24 hour, seven day mindset) and that they had to put up with his antics a lot.

But while April had conceded to the point that they could disappear from sight, she pointed out that she didn't have much in the fridge, except for frozen pizza.  
>And at the very mention of pizza, Mikey rugby-tackled her into a hug, squeezing her and murmuring all sorts of things that were too fast for April to process. But once he let go, Mikey went, "You, girl, are a lifesaver"!<p>

April, puzzled, raised her eyebrow and went "You guys eat pizza"?  
>Mikey responded with a simple, "Ah, yeah! It's the most awesome food in all the galaxy"!<br>Donnie however went, "Urm, actually a lot of food can be considered..."  
>Mikey turned around to face Donnie and gave off a bit of an angry frown, and Donnie surrendered, putting both his hands out in front and then turning away, whistling innocently.<p>

April coughed and asked, "So, pizza it is, then, boys"?  
>All four went, "Yep".<p>

* * *

><p>Now, 10 minutes later and around 5 frozen medium sized pizzas had been cooked in the oven. After the buzzer rang, she took out them out and sliced them into the appropriate slices. Putting them onto plates, she was about to bring them over to the dining room table, but the brothers had beaten her to it, taking a plate each (well, after Raph and Mikey finished squabbling over which pizza they wanted, despite the fact that they were all the same type of pizza. April had just shrugged, and rolled her eyes).<br>So now, she settled on taking on the duty of making drinks.

Getting some soft drinks, she poured some into five glass cups, and took them out to the brothers as they sat down, eating slices of pizza and savoring the taste. After thanking her, she went back to get her plate and soon joined the brothers by sitting down at a chair at a table.

And soon April got to learn more about the brothers individually.

There was the eldest one. Leonardo, or Leo for short. He was apparently the leader of their, team, so to speak. Very focused, dedicated and the most mature out of the four. Took a lot of things seriously, but there was still signs that he possessed the usual insecurities that a teenager had and of course, the occasional immaturity would come up every know and again. When asked about his swords, Leo had stated that the weapon that he wielded were Ninjatō, a straightened version of katanas (which Ninjatō were often mistaken for constantly).

The second eldest brother, Raphael, or Raph, seemed to act like a tough guy, but underneaf that rough, tough exterior, he seemed to be something else, which he kept well hidden, especially in front of his brothers.  
>He also had the biggest bulk out of all of them, and had cuts, scrapes, chipping all over his body and shell.<br>Weaponry wise, April learned that the two dagger-like weapons with prongs were called Sais, which were originally used in Okinawan martial arts.  
>And also, April could detect hints of a sort of brotherly rivalry between Raph and Leo.<p>

The third eldest, Donatello, or Donnie to his brothers, in addition of being the tallest and the leanest of his brothers, standing at a 6"1', was the smartest and the most scientifically/technology minded of his brothers. But Donnie did point out that he was still as capable as his brothers in ninjutsu, hence he welded a single staff, which was 6ft and described by Donnie as a Rokushakubō, but when April tried to pronounce it, Donnie stated that bō was easier to pronounce in conversation. So bō it was.  
>Also, whenever he was describing something, Donnie did it in great length.<br>April smiled, for her father usually was like that. And she also had thoughts that her father and Donnie, if they ever met each other, and of course got to know each other, they would make fast friends.  
>And on the subject of her father, Donnie had appeared interested at that her father worked at Stocktronics, so he asked what he did over there.<br>"You did mention that he was a programmer, April. So I'm presuming that means he's a computer programmer. Does he ever talk about what sort of stuff he works on at Stocktronics"?  
>"No, not really. I mean, he's worked on programming for some of Stocktronics' mechs, but now, he did mention last couple of weeks that he was working on one of Doctor Baxter Stockman's latest projects, the new mechs that were designed to take care of the Citadel's growing rat problem".<p>

The four brothers looked at each other worriedly, and soon, April understood why. Splinter was a rat of course, and they presumably were worried about what these new mechs would do.

Then finally, there was the youngest of the brothers, Michelangelo, or just simply, Mikey. From first glances, it seemed that Mikey was the most light-hearted one and the most playful. Full of energy, and a child-like innocence, Mikey also was, to her shock, a biotic, for he explained that in addition to being exposed to the glowing ooze, Mikey had gotten himself covered in a dust form of element zero, according to Donnie. And even though it had been difficult, living with second hand and hastily reconstructed biotic amps, Mikey had managed to live with it, and also use them sparingly.  
>And in addition to his biotics, the weaponry that Mikey wielded, were nunchaku, with also a Kusarigama blade hidden in one of the handles in each one. All thanks to Donnie, "who has always been there to help", according to Mikey, which Donnie modestly nodded his head at, and stated simply, "oh, it was no problem at all" before patting Mikey's shoulder.<p>

April smiled, and took a bite out of a slice of pizza, whilst the brothers continued doing so as well.

* * *

><p>5 minutes later, and April was now cleaning up the dishes in the sink, whilst the Turtles were preparing to leave for their home.<p>

Once done, she lead them to the door, and was about to open it, when suddenly, the door chimed. Presumably someone was outside.  
>April, worried, soon turned and went, "Oh, you guys have to... hide"?<br>Looking around, she could see no sign of the brothers.

Shrugging, presumably thinking that the Turtles were hiding, April went to open the door, curious to see who it was. It couldn't have been her father, for it would have registered him and allowed him in, unless there was some fault...

Opening the door, she could see that it wasn't her father.  
>But it was a Salarian.<br>A Salarian, dressed in armor, and looking at her with specific interest.

The Salarian spoke first, "We've been waiting for you, Miss O'Neil".

April's blood went cold. Those thugs from earlier had said those exact words and now she was getting the feeling that this Salarian was bad news. Backing off, her fears were confirmed when he started approaching her and also waved his right arm for someone.  
>Footsteps were fast approaching, and they came, in the form of a Krogan and a Turian.<br>April gulped, surely thinking that she was doomed to whatever fate they had in store for her.

But she had temporary forgotten, that her Turtle savors, were present.

And from the shadows, they attacked first.

"YAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Raph had launched himself from the shadows, both Sais out, towards the Salarian, whilst Mikey began glowing his familiar blue biotic aura and swinging his nunchaku with his right hand, and both Donnie and Leo, unsheathed their weapons.  
>Raph also kicked his right leg out at the Salarian, making contact and kicking him backwards. Right into the Turian and the Krogan. With the three foes falling to the floor, Leo then went, "Alright, let's get out of here, fast as we can. Let's go"!<br>April was a bit hesitant, still in shock.  
>"April!"<br>Shaken out of her shock by Leo's cry, she soon went, "You lead the way, Leo".

As they made a run for it, Raph commented, in his usual gruff tone, "Oh hey, April's following fearless leader around".  
>Leo shot him down, "Not now Raph"!<p>

Now running out of the apartment, Leo could see that he and his brothers, were totally exposed, to dozens of people. But before any of the crowd could lay eyes on them, a gunshot rang out, causing the crowd to scream and run in whatever direction they wanted.  
>And soon, the Turtles saw that another Krogan and another Turian were on a catwalk above. That one Krogan carried a sniper rifle, still smoking from the barrel, whilst the Turian, carried an assault rifle.<p>

Twirling their weapons, as the Salarian, the 2 Krogan and the 2 Turians soon circled the Turtles and April, Mikey was bouncing on his feet, anxiously waiting, whilst Raph seemed to be quivering with energy, that was just waiting to be unleashed on anyone unlikely to be in his way. Donnie, was analyzing his foes as he looked upon them, whilst Leo, calmly flexed his fingers and drew both his Ninjatō into an X shape in front of him. And the foe in front of him, the Krogan with the sniper rifle that had been holstered and replaced with a shotgun, could see his own reflection within the blades.

The tension was so thick, it could have been cut with a knife.  
>And it got cut, when the Salarian said to his compatriots, "Get the girl. Alive and in one piece. Waste her compatriots".<br>One of the Krogan huffed and muttered "bout damn time" and aimed his shotgun, at Raph.

But he didn't get the chance to use it as Raph charged right for him, Sais at the ready.

Immediately, the Turtles leapt at their foes, whilst April watched them doing battle. Even though they had saved her before by getting into a skirmish, she hadn't seen them very well, but out here, she could see them fighting very clearly.

April could see Mikey laying biotic hits with his nunchaku on a Turian who had put away his shotgun due to being too close for comfort, whilst Raph was wrestling for control with the Krogan and losing.  
>Donnie was swiping his bō staff at a Turian, and managed to knock his assault rifle out of his hands.<br>Leonardo was engaged in swordplay with the Krogan, who was blocking with his shotgun.

The Salarian, however was hanging back, analyzing these 'Turtles' fight like a Salarian would as they battled his compatriots. And he noticed that they were dumbfounded at how their foes were not going down easy. The Salarian smiled.  
><em>They were too confident. They faced down inexperienced street thugs. Now they're facing professionals<em>.

Looking around, he also saw the girl, who was watching the proceedings. Now he had an advantage. Getting out of his pocket, he got a syringe, and used his Tactical Cloak.

April O'Neil was looking at how the Turtles were faring. And they were slowly beginning to lose ground, for Mikey was becoming rapidly tired as the Turian started becoming more agile and also laid hits on him. Raph was then sideswiped by the Krogan, who knocked his Sais away and kicked him, causing him to hit the floor and slide on it.  
>Donnie, then swung his bō staff at the carapace of his Turian opponent and the impact resulted in the staff end smashing into bits. Donnie, dumbfounded, gasped in shock at the loss of his weapon, and the Turian took advantage to swipe him at the legs, causing Donnie to crash down onto his shell.<br>Leo attempted to swipe at the Krogan with one of his Ninjatō, but the Krogan grabbed it surprisingly and crushed it. Leo dropped it, with now only one Ninjatō left.  
>Seeing Donnie down, Leo then also saw that the Turian picked up his assault rifle and brought it up to aim at Donnie. Clenching his single Ninjatō, Leo charged right at the Turian, who saw the Turtle's charge and soon, to Leo's shock, glowed with a blue biotic aura. As Leo swung his Ninjatō, to swipe at the Turian, the Turian clenched his fists, which gave off a glowing aura and smashed his right fist at the Ninjatō, smashing it into pieces.<br>And soon, the Turian finished off with a biotic headbutt, as Leo came to a halt.  
>Leo was thrown back onto the floor and he skidded on his shell to a halt.<p>

Meanwhile, Mikey saw this, and shouted his brother's name. Charging for the Krogan who was now approaching Leo, Mikey soon charged his biotics to the max, a dangerous maneuver considering the quality of his amps. Swinging his nunchaku at the Krogan, it seemed that he was about to get in and lay down biotic hits at the Krogan, but his biotics soon faltered as his amps started draining from the strain. As Mikey slowed down, the Krogan soon grabbed Mikey's right wrist and got the nunchaku out of it. Then he headbutted Mikey, knocking him out, and kicked him, causing him to skid across the floor.  
>The krogan examined the nunchaku in his hand, and laughed as he went, "This-this is considered a wea-weapon? And this is the best these pyjaks can manage? Hmmph! Pathetic! I expected more from these pyjaks"!<p>

And in further frustration, he snapped the nunchaku, the kusari between the two handles snapping and dropped the remains on the floor.

April, shocked, was about to run for the elevator, but soon collided with something solid, that was not visible. But her mouth dropped open, as it revealed itself to be the Salarian, with a Tactical cloak. And he was carrying a syringe in his hand.  
>Her eyes widened, and she backed off, intending to run away, but she found a Turian right behind her, who grabbed her arms.<br>And soon, despite her struggling, the Salarian managed to inject the syringe into her neck and squeezing whatever content the syringe carried, into her veins.  
>April started feeling drowsy and her arms refused to obey her, and her legs seemed to turn to jelly.<p>

Raph, saw this and the mercenaries now crowding around April, got off the floor and grabbed one of his Sais, and ran straight at them, intending on making them pay. One of the Krogan was nearest and as the Krogan turned to face him, he swiped his Sai at his face, only getting one small cut off the Krogan's face, before Raph soon got himself surrounded in a biotic field made by the biotic Turian and thrown into a wall, knocking him unconscious.

The Salarian, quickly, beckoned his compatriots to take the girl, one of the Krogan slinging her over his shoulder, and soon, they rushed down the elevator, intending on making a quick getaway.

* * *

><p><strong>Urgh, sorry for the delay everyone, and now the Turtles had now gotten themselves into a pickle. They've now become overconfident and that overconfidence has cost them. But don't worry, they'll be back in great fighting shape with new improvements.<br>And in regards to this fight, I'm not certain, but I'm not satisfied with how I written this fight. Sorry if you think the fight was rubbish.**

**Anyways, see you next time.**

**Update (12/7/14): Just doing some cleaning up of grammar and a few lines that I wasn't satisfied with.**


	19. Fight at the Skycar Lobby

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

* * *

><p><em>Sixth Floor, 498 Block, Mid-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th, 2183<em>.

Now entering the elevator, with his compatriots, along with April O'Neil, who was unconscious and slung over the shoulder of one of the two Krogan, the Salarian pressed a button for the Ground Floor and as the elevator door closed, got onto his omni-tool, to their boss. Dr. Baxter Stockman's face appeared on a screen projected by his omni-tool.

"Do you have the girl?"

Only one answer was needed and he replied, "yes".

Dr Stockman, on the other end, allowed a faint smile to show, but refocused as he stated, "Well done. I assume that her accomplices won't be a problem"?  
>"No. No problem at all, Doctor Stockman".<br>"Excellent. Now get the girl here in one piece".  
>With Dr Stockman cutting his end of the transmission, the Salarian then asked the Krogan slinging April O'Neil on his shoulder, "How's the girl? No problem, I assume"?<br>The Krogan shook his head and stated gruffly, "Your neurotoxin worked, Salarian. She's out cold. But what do you expect from a Salarian? Their products do work perfectly. Sometimes, too perfectly".  
>Taking that as a slight remark towards the genophage, which the Krogan usually blamed the Turians, for releasing it, and the Salarians, for creating it in the first place, the Salarian decided to remain silent and waited to get down to the ground floor.<p>

But then, they could hear a loud thud hitting the top of the elevator. Their focus now went towards the top of the elevator, alert and ready for whatever would come at them.

* * *

><p>Donatello, with both of Raph's Sais in his hands (having took some time to get them) after taking them off the straps that connected to his now-shattered Rokushakubō staff, was now getting his bearings and his balance, having jumped after a rapidly descending elevator.<p>

And shell did his legs hurt!  
>Despite getting close enough to jump onto the top, it still hurt like hell.<p>

And soon, his eyes went wide when a shotgun fired up, at a spot in front of him, and soon, more shots followed, rapidly appearing all over the roof. Donnie now started moving around as much as he could, trying to avoid the shots, until they stopped.

_Gun's heatsink probably's overheated_, thought Donnie.

Then he noticed that the elevator was slowing to a complete stop, meaning that the elevator had reached it's destination.  
>The elevator doors dinged and opened, and soon, Donnie could hear the kidnappers rushing through the doors onto the ground floor, rushing to wherever they wanted to get to.<p>

Getting at the access hatch, Donnie got his omni-tool and worked through the lock, but it was taking a little bit of time.  
>"C'mon, C'mon..."<p>

Then came the indication that his electronic lock-picking worked, a heavy click that unlocked the access hatch. And soon, getting the hatch open, he jumped through into the elevator, to find that the Salarian, the two Krogan (one of them carrying April over his shoulder) and the two Turians were nearly to the Skycar lobby.

Running as fast as his legs would carry him, Donnie soon caught the attention of one of the Turians, who then shouted to his companions "Keep on going, I'll take care of this!"  
>And he started glowing with a blue aura around him, and Donnie immediately moved started moving around erratically, as so to present a harder target to hit by biotics.<br>And just as the Turian was about to lay a hit on Donnie with his biotics, Donnie had now closed up and even though still unused to using Raph's Sais, for he had pretty much been adjusted with the Rokushakubō, Donnie swiped both the Sais at the Turian's face.  
>The Sai in his right hand nicked at the Turian's right 'eyebrow' and then hit the Turian's eye, before further swiping towards the nose. And the Sai in his left hand went right into the Turian's left mandible.<br>Screeching in pain, with a Sai now dug right into his left mandible and bleeding around his right eye, the Turian was defenseless as Donnie got the handle of the Sai and pulled it right out, which required quite a heavy pull. Swiping his legs at the Turian's leg, the Turian crashed onto the floor and was now in severe pain, clutching his hands at his right eye and left mandible. Donnie soon rushed into the Skycar lobby, where he could see the Salarian and the other remaining Turian getting into the driver's cabin of a skytruck, and the Krogan putting April in the back, and soon both Krogan getting in, and shutting the doors.  
>The skytruck powered up, and Donnie, now rushed up, hoping to catch it, but it soon lifted off vertically and to his dismay, left quickly.<p>

"Darn it!"

Donnie, dejectingly slumping his shoulders, soon headed back, to get back and check on his brothers on the sixth floor.  
>He ignored the injured Turian on the floor, walking past him and getting into the elevator to the sixth floor.<p>

* * *

><p>After reaching the sixth floor, Donnie soon managed to see his brothers groaning as they got out from their knocked out states. And soon, Donnie went over to Leo as he tried to get up, "Leo! Leo, are you okay"?<br>"Wha-wh-what? Oh, yeah, yeah. A little bit sore in the shell and quite a headache, but other than that..."  
>"Leo! The kidnappers got away"!<br>"What"?  
>"Yeah, I pursued them, but they got away in a skytruck".<p>

Then suddenly, the familiar lighting of police lights were seen flashing in the background. _C-Sec must have been called_, thought Donnie.  
>"Leo, we've got to get out of here. C-Sec will be here any minute now".<br>At the mention of C-Sec, Leo, got onto his feet, and nodded. "Agreed. We can't stay here. We have to get back to the lair".

* * *

><p><strong>And that is that. Apologies for the delays everyone, I had been away for quite a bit.<strong>

**Anyways, the Turtles' situation does not look good. Almost all weapons destroyed and having been beaten, with April having been captured by Stockman's thugs (I mean, come on, if anyone's not figured that out already, I think it was pretty obvious), how will the Turtles get back into fighting shape?  
>Find out next chapter!<strong>

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review at anytime and see you next time.**


	20. Adapting to the Situation

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>"The Lair", the Sewers under Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th, 2183<em>.

Sitting down in a Lotus position, within the dojo of his home, Master Splinter was not relaxing well, for his thoughts were on his sons.

He had been mediating ever since his sons left the lair with Miss O'Neil, which he usually did whenever his sons ever went away from the lair, exploring the sewers for an extended amount of time, for he found that mediating was a very good way to relax, and to pass the time, whilst alone in his home.

Today had been no exception, but it had been cut short when he sensed that something terrible had happened to his sons. At first, he had feared that they had been killed, but was relieved when he still felt their presence.  
>But he could feel the feelings of despair, the sense of failure, anguish, and anger, all raging across his sons.<p>

And he could also sense their hurried pace, as they rushed to get back to the lair.

Opening his eyes, Master Splinter went to go to the living room, to await his sons, and in 4 minutes, they went through the door, panting heavily, looking very dejected and with bruises on them, as well as the thing that got Splinter's attention, that they were lacking weaponry.  
>"My sons, what has happened"?<br>All four of his sons spoke at the same time, offering their explanations. So Splinter simply slammed his walking stick on the ground and shouted **"YAME"!**  
>All four soon stopped talking, flinched and stood up straighter. At this Splinter pointed his stick at Leonardo and asked, "Leonardo, what happened to you and your brothers"?<br>"We've failed, Sensei".  
>Examining his eldest son, the old rat Sensei could see that Leonardo's shoulders slumped, as if he carried the weight of failure on him, and Splinter could feel the feelings of shame coming off his son. But Splinter needed to hear what happened, and talk to Leonardo later, one on one.<br>"Go on, Leonardo".

And soon, after a huff of breath, Leonardo told Splinter what happened.

* * *

><p>"Hmmmmmm".<p>

Splinter was left to his thoughts, as his eldest son finished off what had happened. Just as his sons were about to leave April's home, new kidnappers arrived and tried to take her, but his sons had intervened.  
>Then the fight had gone from bad to worse, as his sons had been beaten, because they had become overconfident due to their last victory, and they had lost their weaponry.<br>Donatello had managed to pursue them, but was too late to stop the kidnappers get away in a skytruck.

Leonardo then spoke forward, "Sensei, it's all my fault. We weren't good enough to face these goons and our training wasn't sufficient enough. I take responsibility for this, Sensei and I vow to train harder..."  
>Splinter, however, stopped his eldest son's attempts to be hard on himself, "Leonardo, it is not your fault".<br>"It was, Sensei! If we trained harder and', glaring at his brothers, 'took our training much more seriously, we wouldn't be in this mess right now!"

"YAME!"  
>And this was followed with Splinter whacking his walking stick on his eldest son's head, and then going on, "Leonardo, the burden of a leader can be very hard for the one who welds the responsibility, but it was not down completely to your training that you and your brothers suffered defeat. It was merely the fact that you four were overconfident. Overconfidence is a warrior's deadliest enemy. And my sons, do not be dismayed at your defeat. Defeat is something that a warrior must always face. It is how you deal with defeat that will determine how strong you are".<br>With this, conversation was over.

And Splinter sighed heavily, as he went, "Maybe it was such a bad idea for me to allow you to go to the surface. And furthermore, these past years of living down in the sewers, I have taught you how to fight as individuals, not as a team. And for that, the responsibility falls to me, as your Sensei. Maybe in a few years, when you have learned how to fight as a team, will you be ready for the surface".

Donatello was outraged and spluttered out loud, "A f-f-f-ew ye-a-ar-s? Sensei! Have we totally forgotten about the fact that April was kidnapped? And we need to save her!"  
>Michelangelo spoke in support, "Yeah, I mean, we can't just give up just because we got our shells handed to us! We've got to adapt, be better and then go and save April"!<br>When he finished, his three brothers looked at him intently, as did Splinter, and Leonardo asked Raphael, "Did Mikey just say that or was my ears deceiving me"?  
>"Yeah he just did".<br>Encouraged by this, Donatello then pleaded to Splinter, "Master Splinter, April is our friend, and she is depending on me, I mean, us, to save her! We won't stand aside and hide like cowards! Would you, Sensei"?

Silence, as Splinter closed his eyes, for a good while, and then, "No, I wouldn't, Donatello".  
>Opening his eyes, Splinter then stated, "You must go and save April O'Neil".<br>Leonardo, asked, "How? We had our shells' handed to us, our weapons were destroyed, well all except Raph, and also, we've got no idea on where April is"!

Then came the reply from his Sensei, "My sons, a solution will arise. Just simply put your minds to it, and a solution will arise..."  
>"That's it!" came the outburst from Donatello.<br>"My son?"  
>"I know where we can find April!"<p>

Surprise across his three brothers' faces as well as Splinter's face, his Sensei went, "Well, Donatello"?  
>"Well I remember seeing a symbol on the backdoors of the skytruck that took April, but I didn't remember where I saw it, until now, when I remembered an advert on the vids. It was Stocktronics"!<br>All three of his brothers were confused, so Leonardo asked, "and this helps us how, Donnie?"  
>"Don't you guys get it? The truck came from Stocktronics, and if we get over to Stocktronics, we can find the truck and probably find April".<br>"Oo-kay..."  
>Leonardo was clearly skeptical of this idea, until Donatello went, "I admit, it's not exactly the best plan, but it's at least, something to go on".<p>

But before Leonardo could argue further, Splinter stated, "Donatello is right. And who knows? Maybe Stocktronics can provide you with a way".

However, Raph stated angrily, "But we've got no weapons, Sensei"!  
>"Raphael! Even though your weapons were destroyed, remember that the ninja's most powerful weapon, is not his tools, or his body, but his mind. And plus, I have told you this before. A ninja must learn to adapt. So, all of you, my sons, must learn to adapt to this new situation".<p>

"By getting some new weapons?", came the question from Michelangelo.  
>"Maybe, or getting upgrades to level the playing field".<p>

Then Donnie brightened up and stated excitedly, "Yes! I've got just the thing in mind, hold on a bit, it's right in my workshop, I'll be back in a bit", before rushing to his workshop/laboratory.

Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo looked at each other, hoping to know if they knew what Donnie was on about. But they just merely shrugged at each other.

And then Donatello came out, with a box in his hands, in which he put on the ground, and revealed something tech related, which Splinter and the three of his brothers had no idea what it was.

But Leonardo decided to ask what it was, and endure his brother's droning on about what it was in detail, "So, what is it, Donnie"?

"A monomolecular generator. Well more than one to be exact. Around seven completed. I had completed this before the trials began".  
>"A mono-what"?, came Mikey's question.<br>Donnie spelled it out slowly for Mikey, "A mono-mole-cular gene-rator. Vital if we want some monomolecular blades".  
>Leonardo butted in, Woooah, hold on Donnie, did you just say blades"?<br>"Yes, Leo, I said blades and I know exactly what you're thinking. A monomolecular blade can pretty much cut through anything in theory, due to the fact that it will severe monomolecular bonds on contact rather than tearing through sections of material. Well, technically, it will still seem to do that, but a monomolecular blade will cut through an object with no difficulty at all".  
>"So these, monomolecular generators, can help our blades cut through anything"?<br>"Well almost anything, Leo. Bear in mind, it's not been tested in combat, so I don't know fully if it'll work or not..."  
>Raphael, bored, went "Yeah, yeah, yeah, brainiac, just use them already"!<br>Donatello shook his head at this and stated, "Well, the thing is, even though I completed the generators, I haven't got a power source for them. So we could try and take them out, no power source, but our blades would just be useless against armor, for we wouldn't be able to power up a monomolecular blade".  
>Leonardo asked, "So what power source do you need, Donnie"?<br>"Well, I've searched for every sort of power source, from top to bottom. I was thinking of element zero, but that is a pain in the shell to acquire..."

Michelangelo however went, "If only there was a way to use your hands to power a monnie-molie-culaa generator..."  
>"What? First off Mikey, it's spelt mono-mole-cular, and second, you've just had a great idea"!<br>"I had?"  
>"Wait, Mikey, of all people, had a great idea?", came the sarcasticsurprised reply from Raphael.

And Donatello went on to explain, "Yes. You see, we could use kinetic energy. You see, kinetic energy is the energy of an object which it processes due to it's motions. So if we made motions, the kinetic energy could be used to power up our monomolecular generators! Fantastic, right"?

After going through that explanation, Donatello looked smugly at his brothers, but then pouted, when they had flat looks on their faces, indicating that they had no clue of what Donatello was talking about.  
>But Donatello however, moved on, and stated, "Well, now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some weapons to make".<p>

Taking the box full of the monomolecular generators into the workshop/laboratory, and then shutting the door, silence endured. And then came the sounds of tools being powered up, which despite a door being shut, was still loud.  
>Leonardo, then sighed and put a hand on his face, but quickly regretted it, as his bruised face stung.<br>Splinter noticed this, and had Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael come to the dojo to have their bruises treated, in order to pass the time whilst Donatello went about his work.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, the Turtles are about to get new improved weapons, and get themselves back into fighting shape.<strong>

**Next chapter, will be an potentially exciting one, I hope.**

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and see you next time around.**


	21. A Face to Face

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>Stocktronics Building, Upper-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 5th, 2183<em>.

At the hangar, on the 100th floor, a Stocktronics skytruck entered through the field separating the hangar from the outside world, hovered over a free landing spot, and vertically landed and powered down.  
>Then, a Salarian and a Turian got out of the skytruck's cabin, while two Krogan, got out of the back doors of the skytruck's enclosed rear. One Krogan, was carrying a large black bag, big enough to fit a human in it, over his right shoulder.<p>

The Salarian, then got onto his omni-tool and contacted Doctor Stockman.

"Report".  
>"We're at Stocktronics, Doctor Stockman. Hangar bay, 100th floor".<br>"Ah, yes. I was wondering when you were going to get here. Anyways, bring the girl to the conference room on the 188th floor. Don't keep me waiting".

With that, Doctor Stockman ended his line of the transmission, and soon, the Salarian indicated to his compatriots to get a move on.  
>And they moved to the elevator, where once inside, the Salarian pressed a button for the 188th floor, and the elevator doors shut.<p>

* * *

><p>In the office of Stocktronics' CEO, on the 188th floor, Doctor Baxter Stockman was cheerfully musing over how his genius had led to this victory. His victory!<br>And once he got this O'Neil business behind him, his Mousers would soon continue and be finished. No more would privileged, low-minded idiots look down on the mighty Doctor Baxter Stockman, and his supreme genius! No more sniggering behind his back, no more mis-pronounciation of his surname and more importantly, no more looking down on him!  
>Oh no, his Mousers would be a success and he'd be established as one of the greatest of the scientific minds on Earth, heck, even the galaxy!<p>

Cheerfully whistling, he had gotten out a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy out of his own personal cabinet, and a set of glasses that he poured the brandy into.  
>And when he finished, his VI interrupted.<p>

"_Doctor Stockman, Jean Tremblay from Terra Commonwealth Bank is here to visit you_".  
>A sigh, and "Very well then. Send her up".<br>"_Of course, Doctor Stockma_n".

With that, Stockman awaited the arrival of the sole representative of his backers.  
>Of course, not only would success of the Mousers be bringing him success, but he'd be contributing to the cause of humanity. The real humanity, and not the sniveling, alien-appeasing Alliance. Well, that was at least what Cerberus had stated when they offered to financially back his Mouser project.<p>

And before he could take a drink, the door to his office opened, to reveal Jean Tremblay in her two-piece business suit.  
>Doctor Stockman stood up, a glass of brandy in hand and came around to face her, as she stopped in front of the desk and faced him.<br>"Miss Tremblay, what a pleasure to see you. I assume you've heard".  
>Curtly, she nodded and went straight to business, "I see that your hired help isn't as bad as we feared, Doctor Stockman. They managed to get the girl, and now you've got leverage against Kirby O'Neil".<br>"Yes, and speaking of Kirby O'Neil, it's about time I get a face to face meeting. It's nearly closing hours".  
>"Okay then, if there's nothing more, then I'll let you take care of him, Doctor Stockman. And I shall make myself scarce". She then turned and left for the door.<br>"Oh, wait! Don't you want to stick around and watch him squirm, Miss Tremblay"?

Stopping by the door and twirling around to face him, she stated, "I've seen many people squirm before, Doctor Stockman. Kirby O'Neil won't be the last. And anyway, it's best I make myself scarce. Don't worry. I won't be far away". With this, she gave off a sweet smile and then, walked out of Doctor Stockman's office.

With this, Doctor Stockman soon got to his chair, and asked his VI, "Hooker, is Kirby O'Neil still in the building"?  
>"<em>Yes, Doctor Stockman<em>".  
>"Then, send him to my office at once".<br>"_Of course, Doctor Stockman_".

* * *

><p>"<em>Kirby O'Neil to Doctor Stockman's office. Kirby O'Neil to Doctor Stockman's office<em>".

_Darn_!  
>He had hoped to had gotten out of the building once everyone made to leave at closing hours, but now this came along. And soon, Kirby had an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.<br>Looking amongst his co-workers, he could see that they had turned their eyes away from him and were finding other things very interesting, all of a sudden. And Kirby could have sworn that he heard one of them mutter under his breath, "Dead man walking..."

Due to the fact that he was on the ground floor, he rushed to the elevator and went into it. The doors closing, he pressed the button for the 188th Floor, and the elevator departed.

When the elevator reached the 188th Floor, the doors opened and Kirby took a deep breath and exhaled before walking towards Doctor Stockman's office.  
>He then reached the office and soon, pressing the holographic panel in front of him, the door chimed.<p>

"Enter".

The doors opened and Kirby went in.

"Sit down, Kirby".

Sitting down on a chair facing the desk of Doctor Baxter Stockman, Kirby awaited for his boss to address him.  
>And Doctor Stockman broke the silence, "So, Kirby. I remember the last time you were my office. Do you remember also?"<br>"Yes, I do".  
>"Yes, and I specifically told you that your investigations were a distraction on your duties to the Mouser project. And furthermore, when you stated that several of your colleagues had disappeared, I also told you that they were none of your business".<br>Leaning forward, Doctor Stockman continued, "Do you remember that"?  
>"Yes".<br>"And then, I told you to stay on task with the Mouser project. And I know for one, that you didn't do as I asked".  
>Huffing angrily and impatient, Kirby went, "Cut to the chase, please, Doctor Stockman. Why am I here"?<br>Narrowing his eyes, Stockman stood up and began walking around the room, "Okay then, very well. You are here, because I know that you accessed my office when I was out of the building".  
>Astonishment was all over Kirby's face. He opened his mouth, as if he was going to say something, but quickly closed it.<br>"And then, furthermore, you accessed my private terminal. My very private terminal".  
>Doctor Stockman soon got a wine glass as well as a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy, and poured it into the glass, all the while tutting.<br>"Oh, Kirby. Do you not know of the old saying? Curiosity killed the cat, Kirby, and your stubborn curiosity, well, I can't let you allow you to continue snooping your nose where it does not belong".  
>Then Kirby leaned back, crossed his arms and smugly stated, "So, gonna kill me like you and your backers did, 'Doctor' Stockman? Well, I've got proof, that you've been involved in killing my colleagues, and it's all to do with this Cerberus. Any attempt to kill me and you'll be out of business".<br>An eyebrow raised, Stockman laughed and went, "Oh, no, no, no. You see, you're a valuable part of ensuring the completion of my Mousers' programming and also, making you disappear will raise questions. But in addition, I won't allow the fact that you hold blackmail material against me put me out of business, so to speak, so I've tried a new tack. How's your daughter anyway? Her name is April, I presume"?  
>Gulping and color draining from his face, Kirby then noticed that he had clenched his fists, at the mere mention of his daughter's name.<br>He tried to shake off his nerves by trying to be bold and confidently stating, "You leave my April out of this, Stockman!"  
>And before Doctor Stockman could put in a word, Kirby reckoned that he could rattle Stockman, by stating an old nickname that was passed around by word of mouth, "Or should I say, Stinkman"?<p>

The wine glass smashed as Doctor Stockman squeezed it. Hard. And furthermore, Stockman's eye twitched and he slammed the bottle of brandy on a nearby desk very hard, making datapads slide off the desk onto the floor.  
>To say that Doctor Stockman was infuriated, was an underestimatement. He was apocalyptic.<br>His eyes narrowing, Stockman raised his voice, screaming "It's Doctor, Baxter, STOCKMAN"!

But Stockman took several deep breath and calmed himself, a bit ashamed he lost control. After getting medi-gel to heal his bleeding hand, he then remembered his own bargaining chip and gave off a sinister grin as he went, "Oh, Kirby, I wouldn't try and rattle me anymore. After all, you wouldn't want your April to be hurt, would you"?

Ignoring Kirby's question on what he was on about, Stockman got on his omni-tool. Then he displayed a live-video feed to the conference room in the 188th Floor, showing April O'Neil being held by the arms by a Krogan, while a Salarian, a Turian and another Krogan were present in the room.  
>Kirby's face drained, and he looked in horror at that his daughter, his April, his flesh and blood, was being threatened, all because of his actions.<p>

Shutting the omni-tool, Stockman then said to Kirby, "Well then now, do I have your complete attention"?

* * *

><p><em>"The Lair", the Sewers under Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, the Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 6th, 2183<em>.

It was now past midnight and Donnie was still working. He had locked his laboratory/workshop door and put the sign up on the door stating 'DO NOT DISTURB'.

After healing their bruises and their injuries, Master Splinter had then put Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael through sessions of katas and learning how to fight together as a team.

However, the session was interrupted by Donnie shouting, "I'M FINISHED!"

All heads turning, Mikey was the first to rush out to see what Donnie had in store.  
>"So, what'ya got, Donnie"?<p>

Without a word, Donnie then got some slightly enlarged nunchaku and chucked 2 of them at Mikey, who caught one in his left hand, but was not able to catch the other one. It landed on the floor with a thud and a clutter. Mikey picked it up in his right hand, and started flailing them around, noticing some differences between the old nunchaku and these new nunchaku.  
>"The shell? One handle seems a bit heavier than the other".<br>Donnie took the que and went, "Yes, that's all to do with the fact that there's a monomolecular generator in that one, powering up the monomolecular blade in the other handle. To power it up, you need to flail them around until they're fully charged, then you can press the button and out goes the blade. Also, when the blade's deployed, the kusari can extend".

"Yeh, yeh, yeh, you got a goodie for me, brainiac"?  
>That response could have come from the one and only Raph, and that gruff voice confirmed it, so Donnie went smugly, "Yes, I do".<br>And he presented two slightly larger Sai, which he chucked over to Raph, who caught them in both hands.  
>Looking over, Raph gruffly went, "huh, don't look different, even though they are heavy. What did you put in there, concrete"?<br>Annoyed, Donnie went, "No! I put a monomolecular generator, to power up the monomolecular blade that your Sais have. As I said before, you need kinetic energy to power up the generators, then, with my in-genius designs, you flick a switch and it's on"!  
>Raph gave off a grunt, and turned away, bored, until Splinter came up from behind and whacked him over the head with his walking stick, stating, "Raphael, give Donatello credit. He has put a lot of hard work into this, so you should be thankful".<p>

Reluctantly, Raphael then whispered, "Urrrr, thanks, Don". But after getting a glare from Splinter, he just simply said, "thanks". And walked off.  
>Splinter just shrugged.<p>

Then Leo was next, interested to see what he'd got.  
>And his eyes widened, when Donatello, presented him with 2 curved and shined swords, with a circular guard, and a long grip to accommodate his two hands.<br>Leo's eyes widened and soon slowly put each hands on the grip of one of Donnie's seemingly modified Katana. Leo looked satisfied as his two hands fit perfectly on the grip of the katana, and said with a smile, "Donnie, it's a perfect fit. And this is great. An actual Katana. Two of them in fact. Great"!

Getting both katanas in each of his hands now, Leo could tell that it was heavy in the hilt, and asked if he had a monomolecular generator installed in the hilt.  
>Donnie nodded and stated, "Same drill as always. It's powered up by kinetic energy, so you should have no problem powering it up. But I'm not a sword welding Turtle, so if there's something with this you're not satisfied with, in terms with sword functionality, let me know and I'll help make some modifications".<p>

Leo simply patted Donnie on the shoulder, and then asked, "Well, have you got one of your own, Donnie? Last I checked, you had a broken staff somewhere on the wards".

Smugly, he went, "Well, that, Leonardo, is solved. For I have gotten another rokushakubō. With the usual modifications, of course. It has a monomolecular generator in the middle, where I hold my hands, to power up the monomolecular blade on one end. Then, on the other end, because most of the weight is one sided, I've added a counter-weight on the other. I am so smart, arn't I"?

Leo then took the que and went, "Okay, then. We all ready"? After looking at Mikey, Raph and Donnie and receiving nodding heads, Leo then said, "Let's go to Stocktronics".

As they rushed for the exit to the sewers, the voice of their Sensei stopped them.

"Wait a moment, my sons".

After groaning, they turned to face their Sensei and awaited what he had to say.

"When I stated that overconfidence was the mere factor in your defeat, I omitted the fact that it was not the only factor. The other factor was that you did not use lethal force in your fight". Putting up a hand before his sons spoke out, he continued, "I do not blame you and I am not saying always use lethal force. But however, I will state that it is to be always considered as a last resort. And if it were a choice between you and your brothers or the enemy, you must not hesitate in doing what is necessary. Do you understand what I am saying my sons"?

A bow and "Yes Sensei".  
>Then they left.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I had hoped in getting this completed and out by Sunday, but I ran out of time. So today it is.<strong>

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and see you next time.**

**Update (12/9/14): Had to change the numbering of the floors, as I realized that I made a mistake in later chapters and that having the hangar on the 8th Floor didn't make much sense to me. Also, changed the 48th Floor to the 188th Floor. Oops, sorry everyone!**


	22. Under the Lion's Den

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware**.

**Warning: This chapter contains swearing.**

* * *

><p><em>The Sewers under the Stocktronics Building, Upper-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 6th, 2183<em>.

"I'm Booorrrreeedddd"!  
>A growl from Raph later and, "Mikey, you say that one more time, and I swear, I'll beat the green off you clean this time"!<br>Leo stepped in before it would get out of hand, "Alright, enough, Raph! And Mikey, keep that mouth shut, we're almost there. So no fooling around, for April's sake".

And with that statement, the teenage side of the Turtles had disappeared entirely, to be replaced by a serious and totally focused side.

Continuing to walk down the sewers, Donnie however whispered, "Don't move"!  
>Freezing in place, Leo asked, "Why, Donnie? What's the holdup"?<br>Donnie pointed to something further down the sewers, and Leo saw it. Cameras, mounted on the walls.  
>"Leo, Stocktronics might have some more tech based defenses down here. And these cameras are just what we can see".<p>

Nodding his head, Leo then went about forming a plan of entry, thinking that these cameras were indicating that they were very close to an entrance.  
>"Alright, these cameras are probably just the first line of defense. We can probably expect more. Be on your guard', indicating to Mikey and continuing, 'that includes you too, Mikey".<br>Mikey pouted, as Leo then whispered to Donnie, "You take point, Donnie".

With this, Donnie soon got himself one of the motion trackers, that he had clipped onto his belt, and then went about tinkering around with it's settings.  
>After a few bleeps and bloops, and twirping, and whatever noise it was making, Donnie then put in the earplugs and turned on the motion tracker. Then, satisfied with whatever he had done to the motion tracker, Donnie then switched off the motion tracker and whispered to Leo, "Alright, Leo. I may not be the leader, but if we're to get through these traps, you must do as I say. Okay, Leo"?<br>"What do you need me to do"?  
>Pointing to the camera, he stated, "I need you to throw a happō into those cameras. When we do that, we quickly slip through. And then we'll move on to the next trap".<p>

But one turtle was clearly not keen on waiting, as Raph pushed by and stated, "Oh for goodness sakes, Donnie, I know a better solution instead of just waiting around with our thumbs up our noses"!  
>"I don't think they fit..."<br>"Not now, Mikey!"

Grabbing shuriken from his belt, Raph then chucked it at the cameras.  
>Leo and Donnie gasped, as the shuriken soon smashed the cameras.<p>

* * *

><p>In the security control room of Stocktronics, 2 camera feeds went straight to static, and the security guard on duty, rubbed his eyes again, and growled at the thought of more extra work for him.<br>But still, if he wanted to keep a job that paid the wages while he still could, he got onto his omni-tool and stated "Hey, Evan! It's me, Tony. 2 of the camera feeds from the sewer cameras just went out".

A sigh on the other end, and "It's probably broken or maybe those keepers just tampered with it or something like that. Go check it out and fix it. Evan out".

After that abrupt end to the transmission, Tony sighed as he went to get his toolbox, muttering to himself, "Everything in this place is broken..."

* * *

><p>Silence fell on the group of four talking teenage turtles, as they awaited for something to happen.<p>

But after 2 minutes, Mikey took the que, "Well, I guess we're..."  
>"Don't you dare say anything, Mikey! Or I swear, I'll beat the green off you"!<br>"Enough! All of you! We've got to get a move on".

Then rushing past the cameras, Donnie turned on his motion tracker and started tracking for any traps.

After 20 steps, he detected another set.  
>"Hold on. We've got a laser tripwire".<p>

But Mikey could see nothing but thin air, so he went, "Your motion tracker must be malfunctioning Donnie. There's nothing there".  
>Donnie smirked and got out a happō, which he threw at the area around the laser tripwire, and soon the metsubushi powder revealed one set of 3 laser tripwires, all lined up horizontally.<p>

"Well how are we going to get past that, Donnie"?

Donnie put his hand on his chin and tried to think of something, when suddenly, Raph spoke up from the back, "Guys, something's coming from behind".

All four Turtles, wide-eyed, then unholstered their weapons, knowing that this sewer didn't present much in the way of hiding places for them and awaiting whatever came into view.

And 3 minutes of anxious waiting later, a Keeper came into view.  
>And it went on fixing the cameras in no time at all, much to the astonishment of the Turtles. And when finished, the Keeper went heading towards them, or more importantly, the laser tripwires.<p>

Leo, Raph and Mikey made their move to try and stop it, but Donnie went, "No, wait. Let it through. I've got an idea. Let it through the tripwire and we follow close as possible to the Keeper".  
>"But the tripwire will be triggered"!<br>"No it won't, because if I'm guessing right, they'll switch off when a Keeper comes close. You do trust my judgement, right, Leo"?  
>"Okay then, Donnie".<p>

* * *

><p>Whistling to himself, Tony, with a toolbox in his left hand, soon got to the access door to the sewers, after enduring 15 minutes of traveling from the security room to the ground floor.<p>

Getting his keycard, Tony swiped it and the door swished open after unlocking.  
>And he walked onwards, into the sewers and headed down to the cameras in order to fix them.<p>

The door closing behind him, he gagged at the smell, for no matter how many times he went down the sewers, he still loathed the foul stench that the Citadel sewers produced, and never seemed to get rid off.

_You'd think that the Keepers, as well as maintaining this damn station, would bother making it sparkly clean_...

As he headed down the sewers, approaching a sensor pad, Tony was so preoccupied with the smell and trying not to let it bother him, that he failed to notice four large walking turtles that had managed to hide by hugging the roof.  
>And in fact, he failed to notice, that one Turtle, with two swords slung on his back and a blue mask on his face, had dropped silently onto the floor behind, and silently walked behind him, unsheathing one of his swords. The sound made Tony stop and turn around, only to find a fist come right straight for his face, and thus, Tony yelled as he fell flat on his back, clutching his bloody, broken nose.<br>Then, the Turtle with the sword closed up and said to the red masked turtle, "Nice shot, Raph".  
>"Thanks".<p>

Indicating for the purple masked and orange masked turtles' to restrain Tony by his arms, the blue masked turtle then went, "Alright, you. I'm going to ask you a few questions and I want answers".  
>"Fuck you"!<br>The orange masked turtle, holding Tony's right arm, went, "That's not an answer, dude"! The purple masked turtle slapped Tony's face with his free hand, as he held Tony's left arm, as the red masked turtle then lowered his head, to make eye contact with Tony, and stated, "Look pal, we're just looking for someone, and we're certain she's in Stocktronics. So you need to give us some straight answers, or I'll beat it out of you"!  
>Spitting onto the ground, Tony spat out sarcastically, "If you're looking for someone, why not go to reception and ask for this person, ehmm? Hmph, I'm sure they'll help". Then his face went smug-like as he went, "The lady at the front desk's really friendly, I hear".<br>The red masked Turtle growled, until the blue masked turtle then put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back. Then he took over, "Okay, this is clearly not working, so I'm going to ask how'd you get into the sewers".  
>"Simple, there's an entrance further back, and I've got a keycard to get in".<br>Then the purple masked turtle interrupted, "Guys, this is it! We can use his keycard and use it to get in"!

Before further words could be said, the blue masked Turtle rummaged through Tony's pockets, until he got the keycard. "Gotcha!"  
>And with that, the red masked turtle then went gruffly, "Yeah, yeah, can we go now"?<br>"Yeah, let's go".  
>"But what about Mister Security Guard? Gonna leave him be"?<br>"Well, I probably will, but you, can deal with him if you like".  
>"With pleasure".<p>

And Tony watched in horror as the red masked Turtle loomed over him, and brought a, two toed foot, right on his face. And then his world turned to black as he was knocked unconscious.

* * *

><p>Making the gesture of brushing off his hands, after walking off from the security guard that he kicked into unconsciousness, Raph soon took point ahead, and walked to where the security guard had came into, a door presumably leading into Stocktronics.<p>

Leo, holding the keycard, went up the door to swipe it, and unlock the door and open it, which it did so, and the four Turtles went in.

Once inside a corridor, with white, clean walls and clean floors, all four turtles soon unsheathed their weapons, as Leo whispered, "Alright guys, stay sharp. I get the feeling we're in the lion's den now. Be ready for anything".

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, I just loved writing up that line, but urgh, I don't exactly feel satisfied with the quality and pacing of this chapter. I'll be back to do some fixing at some point.<strong>

**But anyways, the 2014 movie is almost upon some of us, which I pretty excited about.**  
><strong>Oh and here's something I must point out. Because it's not released in the UK at the same time as the US (August 8th), for the UK release date is October 17th, I would really greatly appreciate it if people did not reveal anything about the movie in their reviews or PMs, until I get the chance to see the movie for myself. And when I see the movie, I'll will say so.<strong>

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and see you next time!**

**Update (12/08/14): Oops. Had to fix a mistake in identifying the color of Mikey's mask at one point and adding and changing a few lines.**


	23. Within the Den

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

* * *

><p><em>Security Control Room, Stocktronics Building, Upper-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula.<em>  
><em>February 6th, 2183<em>.

Outside the door of the Security Control Room, on Floor 14, due to the building now closed after hours, the normally busy corridors with bright white lighting, were now empty and the lighting had now dimmed.  
>In other words, presenting all sorts of opportunities for four teenage mutant ninja turtles.<p>

Leonardo, was leading, with Donatello and Michelangelo behind, with Raphael taking the tail end of the group, watching out for anything that'd come up behind.  
>Approaching the door, Leonardo got the keycard and, cautiously looking at the keycard swipe point, decided to see if the keycard got them access into there.<p>

A green light and a positive sounding beep came afterwards. Then as the door slid open, Leo then indicated his head for everyone to follow him in.

Entering first, into the security room, it was completely empty. And even though there were thoughts on why it was empty, this was soon expelled from their heads, as Donnie soon went, "Alright, we've gotta find April".  
>Leo responded, "So how are we going to do that from here, Donnie"?<br>Putting a hand on his chin, Donnie went into thinking mode, and then spotted a seat next to a computer terminal. Donnie went over, dragged the chair over and sat down, to access the computer terminal. Donnie soon replied to Leo's question, "Well, I'm thinking that we could use the camera feeds in this building to see if April's anywhere in this building, or, or, wait, wait, wait! We can try and see if she entered the building, and then see where she went. Then we'll have our answer".  
>Working his fingers along the holographic keyboard, he could however feel the presence of his three brothers looming over his shoulder and a bit too close for comfort. So he snapped, "I'm trying to work here"!<br>Leo took the hint and had Raph and Mikey take positions in the room, ready to see if anyone intruded in the room, as did he.

And the only sounds in the room, were the "uhmmm", the "erhmm" and the "hmmm", from Donnie, as he worked his way through the terminal, doing his magic, trying to find April on the monitors. As well as the low breaths of Raph, Mikey and Leo, as they remained alert, watching the door.

* * *

><p><em>Several minutes later<em>...

"YES! I've done it"!

The exclamation came from one very excited Turtle jumping up and down on the chair, thumping his arms up in the air in jubilation.

"I am such a genius, arn't I"?  
>Raph snorted and stated abruptly, "Yeah, yeah, now can we get a move on? Where's April"?<br>"Well don't you want to hear how I've managed to find out where she is"?  
>A flat look from Raph's face said it all, as well as his reply, "No".<br>Donnie pouted, and went, "Well, anyway, she's on the 188th Floor. We can take an elevator up and we should look for a conference room. That's where they're holding her".

Leo took over the conversation, "Right then guys, let's get up there".

Leaving, Leo had Donnie take point, with Raph and Mikey taking the rear. The door slid open as they approached it and left the Security Control Room, and went on the look for an elevator.

They soon made several turns, as Donnie lead them around the floor in search of an elevator.

And soon enough, they found one, from across a hallway.  
>"Alright everyone, let's get in the elevator, find April, rescue her, and get out".<br>"Here's hoping, Leo".

The four turtles made their way towards the elevator, until Mikey then said "Behind us"!

All four turtles stopped and turned to face the other way, and at first, Leo thought that Mikey must have been hearing things, but then Leo could hear it. Rapid footsteps in close proximity. Somebody was in a hurry.  
>The four turtles tensed and gripped their weapons tightly,and soon enough, there were 7 security guards, armed with batons, that were clipped to their belts.<p>

Soon, they unclipped them, and flicked a switch, causing them to start humming.  
>Donnie then whispered to Leo, "Shock batons. We better not get a hit from them. Those shock batons can incapacitate a adult human and I can only imagine what it'd do to us".<br>Nodding his head, Leo tensed up, as his hands clenched the hilt of his katanas.

The lead security guard, supposedly the one in charge, went, "Put your weapons on the ground and get down on the floor now"!

Looking at his brothers, and seeing that they were ready, he asked one thing.  
>"Ready"?<br>"Do you need to ask"?  
>"Not really".<p>

The lead security guard repeated his challenge much more firmly and more loudly.

Leo grinned and said, "Let's get 'em".  
>He could somewhat, almost feel that Raph smirked as he said in reply, "Bout damn time".<p>

The security guards were surprised as the four intruders (who looked completely like humanoid turtles), yelled and charged at them, weapons ready to be used.

* * *

><p>In the office of Doctor Baxter Stockman, the man in question was sitting down on his chair, twirling some ice cubes in a glass of Serrice Ice Brandy, when suddenly, the alarms went off.<p>

Jumping from his seat, Hooker was about relay the situation to him, on what was going on, when Jean Tremblay came in.

Stockman ignored the angry look she was throwing, as well as her questions on what was going on, and instead simply asked, "Hooker, what caused the alarms to go off"?

"_A security guard in the Security Control Room on the 14th Floor triggered the alarm, sir. There are intruders on the 14th Floor. Near the elevator. Currently fighting security guards_".  
>"Is there any security cameras that we can use to see the intruders"?<br>"_Yes sir_".  
>"Thank you, Hooker. That'll be all".<p>

With Hooker excusing himself, Doctor Stockman accessed the security cameras for the 14th floor and cycled views to try and get a look at the intruders who had broken into the building of his company.  
>Meanwhile, Jean Tremblay circled around and watched also.<p>

Soon, after cycling different views, Doctor Stockman could see one area, leading up to the elevator, where Stocktronics security guards were currently engaged with, what appeared to be, humanoid turtles of all things...  
><em>Wait, humanoid turtles? Turtles? It's those same martial artists that my hired help encountered<em>!, came the only thought that went through his mind as he laid eyes on the intruders who seemed to make short work of his guards.

Jean Tremblay, watching from behind, could see that these intruders were just like what the thugs, the day before, had described. And they were beating Doctor Stockman's security, not that she was surprised. The security guards were pretty much fighting like minimum wage mall cops.  
>But Stockman seemed to be not thinking on her level. He seemed to be getting much more angrier and angrier, as more security guards arrived and got beaten.<p>

And when the last security guard was beaten, Stockman slammed his hands down on his desk and shouted, "Damn it! I want those intruders dead, and I don't care how it's done! They're here for Kirby's daughter, I just know it"!  
>Getting on his omni-tool, he then shouted into it, "All security personnel on the 188th Floor, we have intruders in the building about to head up for the 188th Floor"!<br>Looking at the camera, they entered the elevator and gone up, presumably for the 188th floor.  
>"They are in an elevator going up for the 188th Floor. All security personnel are authorized to use lethal force. Shoot to kill, I repeat, shoot to kill"!<br>Signing off the omni-tool, Stockman panted heavily with deep breaths.

Jean Tremblay frowned at Doctor Stockman's idiotic strategy, and intervened, "Doctor Stockman, what do you think you're doing"?  
>He looked straight at Tremblay and, snapped back, "What? Implementing a strategy against these intruders"!<br>She slapped him right across the left cheek, "Your plan of action, which is so idiotic that a vorcha wouldn't even call it a strategy, is pathetic! These intruders, I suggest you do not underestimate them, Doctor Stockman"!  
>Even though angry at being slapped, his anger disappeared, and he smirked heavily, and laughed.<br>"Underestimate... Oh, Tremblay, please, these arn't ex-military personnel we're talking about. We're talking about some pair of freaks, who know a bit of martial arts, and that's that! Besides, they don't even have guns, for goodness sakes'! And in case you haven't noticed, my security personnel outnumber them heavily, so I have the upper hand. It is as simple as that, Miss Tremblay".  
>"It, is never, as simple as that, Doctor Stockman", Tremblay snarled.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's that done. I had a hard time figuring out how to start and finish this chapter, thus the reason why this took so long. So apologies for that, everyone.<strong>

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and see you next time.**


	24. Battle of the 188th Floor

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect does not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

**Warning: Some bloody violence up ahead.**

* * *

><p><em>188th Floor, Stocktronics Building, Upper-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 6th, 2183<em>.

Outside the elevator floor, guards were taking positions, in the lobby, on the upper walkway overlooking the elevator door, the two staircases that linked the lobby to the upper walkway, and the hallway, around 18 of them.

Armed with Hahne-Kedar Lancer assault rifles and Storm shotguns, the guards were never on their own, for they were paired into twos.  
>Eight of the guards, were in the lobby, standing upright and tensely focused on the elevator doors, aiming their weapons right down at the door, awaiting the intruders.<br>Four guards, including the commander, were overlooking on the upper walkway, whilst four guards were on the staircases, two for each staircase.  
>And the two final guards, including the second in command, were in the hallway.<p>

All, tensely waited as the elevator got closer and closer. Sweat was coming off the brows of the younger guards and the only sound being made, was the deep breaths all the guards made.

And when the elevator dinged, as it reached it's destination, fingers itched closer to the triggers, as the elevator doors opened.

As soon as he saw this, the commander got on his omni-tool to the rest of the security guards and shouted "open fire"! And with that order, the guards' Lancer assault rifles and Storm shotguns let rip, firing round after round into the elevator.  
>Then, when the guns overheated, and the guards let go of the triggers in order to cool them down, the scene in front of them was shocking. The elevator was completely empty. No sign of any bodies of the intruders in it, that much was very certain.<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on an elevator catwalk within the elevator shaft, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael were now unholstering their weapons and approaching the door, all the while, listening to Leo's instructions.<p>

"Okay then, I don't know exactly what's going to be on the other side of this door, so here's the plan. Donnie, Raph, I want you to chuck some happō, as soon as I open the doors. So, as soon as that door opens, you chuck those happo through, and we'll go straight in. Mikey, you are to then charge in and attack, with biotics and some of that 'mad skillz' as you put it, on any guards in your way, whilst we follow. Then, we go and find April. Donnie, you say she's in a conference room on this floor, did you manage to get the location of that conference room on this floor"?  
>A nod of his head, and Donnie activated his omni-tool, and did some more tinkering until finally, he closed it, and said, "Got it. The omni-tool will be bleeping faster as we get closer to the conference room".<p>

Nodding his head, Leo then reminded everyone, having just remembered Splinter's advice when they left the lair, "Also, these guards will not hesitate to end your life. So do what you have to do. Everybody understand"?

All three heads nodded and, "Excellent. Alright, let's do this".

* * *

><p>On the upper walkway, the commander then realized that the elevator was a decoy, to lure his forces from the intruders' true point of entry, and so he issued new orders.<br>"Alright, all of you, you are to stick into pairs and conduct a roving patrol of this entire floor. When you see these intruders, remember, terminate with extreme prejudice. You have your orders, now get to it".

Then suddenly, he heard the door to his left open. The door leading to the catwalks in the elevator shaft. Turning his head to look, he then could see around three round spheroid objects thrown at his direction and when they made contact, they exploded.  
>And soon, he was temporary blinded and disorientated by the explosion, of, what seemed to be flashbangs to him, when suddenly, he could then faintly hear a hum of biotics and then a shout of "Hot nunchuck fury"!<p>

A very hard hit to his head, was the very last thing he registered.

* * *

><p>And soon with Mikey having laid down biotically charged nunchaku hits on the two closest guards on the upper walkway, the rest of the Turtles went to follow and immediately went into battle, as another 2 guards rushed in and raised their weapons.<br>Leo, got 2 shuriken from his belt and chucked it at the guards. Then as he did, he started running at the wall, jumped on the wall and used the momentum to get to the guards. The shuriken hit the wrest of one guard's hand, causing him to clinch his fist and cause him to discharge his weapon uncontrollably, whilst the other shuriken went right for the exposed neck, embedding right into it, blood squirting out, and causing the same guard to both fall down backwards and discharge his weapon uncontrollably as well.

With one guard down, Leo got his katana and swiped at the last remaining guard's chest (which was not armoured up), causing blood to squirt out. Thus, another guard down.  
>And whilst Mikey had taken down the two guards and Leo taken down the other two, Donnie and Raph soon took up the rear, and were soon defending from two guards that were rushing up the stairs. Raph started twirling his Sais and Donnie started twirling his rokushakubō staff, in order to power up the monomolecular blades, and that action was well justified, as soon, they saw the two guards wearing Hahne-Kedar's Light Mantis armor. With that, Donnie reckoned that there might be more, and made a mental note to remind the others to power up their monomolecular blades.<br>But no time for that, as the two guards were fast approaching. Moving backwards, to get more maneuvering room, Leo and Mikey were absent-mindingly twirling their weapons.

And when the two guards got to the top of the stairs and saw the four turtles, one of them quickly tried to access his comms and raise the alarm to the others, whilst his partner began unholstering his shotgun.  
>Donnie and Raph immediately attacked, with Donnie hitting one guard with one end of his rokushakubō, where the counterweight was, as so to hit very hard, breaking the guard's nose and causing him to tumble down the stairs. Raph meanwhile, used his Sais to disarm the guard of his shotgun, via interlocking the yoku into his wrists and pulling hard, breaking the guard's wrists. With the shotgun dropping to the floor, Raph kicked it away, and then flicked the switch on his Sais absent-mindingly and after getting them free from the guard's wrists, saw a small green light by the switch. Raph just shrugged and thrusted both Sais into the armored chest of the guard, and the blade went right through.<p>

_Huh, Donnie does know his stuff, that smart brainiac_...

Raph soon pulled his Sais out and kicked the dead body away, just as Leo went, "Alright, quit dawdling around. Let's get a move on"!

* * *

><p>In the conference room, April O'Neil and her father (who had entered to see his daughter after his talk with Doctor Stockman), were now anxious and comprehensive, for the Salarian, the Turian and the two Krogan were on full alert, weapons in their hands and pacing around.<br>There was obviously something going on, and April could have sworn that during a conversation between the Salarian and Doctor Stockman, there was a mention of 'intruders coming for the girl. The same ones who protected her'.

The Turtles were coming? All this way from the Mid-Ward District right up to Stocktronics to rescue her? To say that she was surprised, was an underestimatement. And she also felt flattered that they would come all this way to save her. She allowed a smile to appear on her face, one her dad picked up on, but decided not to press, for the situation in the room was tense, and instead, he gave off a reluctant smile of his own.

Then suddenly, the lead Salarian was on comms again.  
>"Yes? You what? You want to what? Boss, we are in a secure defensive position in the room, and the moment we're going to get to your office, we're vulnerable"!<br>Doctor Stockman seemed to scream right down his comm piece as he recoiled and soon enough, he listened until he sighed and went, "Very well, Doctor. We'll bring the girl and her father to you".  
>Turning to the two Krogan, he went, "Roovul, Tavex, you grab the girl and her father. Doctor Stockman wants them sealed in his office".<br>After the two Krogan voiced their protests, the Salarian went, "Yes, I know. I voiced those concerns with Doctor Stockman himself, but he got angry with me. And you'll do well to remember to know what happens to those who anger him".  
>Snarling, the two Krogan then roughly went over to April and Kirby and grabbed their arms, pulling them out of the seats. April tried to get free but the Krogan holding her, the one called Tavex, would not let go.<p>

The Salarian then turned to the Turian in the room, and said "Nyuralus, you take point and lead us to Doctor Stockman's office".  
>The Turian remained silent, and then, with his left hand, opened the door, whilst holding a Elkoss Combine Avenger assault rifle in his right hand. Satisfied that the coast was clear, Nyuralus said "Clear. Let's move".<br>Putting his left hand on the forward grip, the Turian moved off and pointed his weapon both sides of the corridor once out of the conference room, and moved towards Doctor Stockman's office.

As the group moved down the corridors, the Turian was about to go left down a hallway, when he heard the Salarian shout "Contact! Contact! Behind us"!  
>Turning around, Nyuralus saw them. The same hostiles that were at the 498 Block.<p>

Getting his Avenger assault rifle up, he was about to pull the trigger on the shortest one, when suddenly, something went right through his left eye and he collapsed on his knees, screaming.

* * *

><p>"Open fire"!<p>

Soon, the Salarian got his Edge pistol in his right hand and brought it up to aim at the intruders, the same ones at the 498 Block. They had left them live. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.  
>But he was soon faced with a charging blue masked, twin-sword welding turtle, who swiped at the right hand, severing it clean off, and then swiped at the Salarian's head, decapitating him.<p>

By the time the Salarian's head was in the air, Donnie and Mikey got their Naginata and Kusarigama blades at the ready and used them against the Krogan holding April and her father.  
>Donnie got his rokushakubō and threw it, blade first, at the Krogan holding April, right into his neck, whilst Mikey threw the Kusarigama blade at the Krogan holding April's dad, right into the spot underneaf the frontal plate of the Krogan's head. Both Krogan yelled in agony as the blades, charged up by the monomolecular generator, went right through.<br>And soon, April and her father were able to get free.  
>Rushing over to the Turtles, April then saw it was them, and said "Guys? You really came, all this way, for me"?<br>Disappointment went over their faces, and Raph asked, "Why, you didn't want us to save you"?  
>"No! I just, am well truly full of gratitude, for getting me and my dad out of here. So thanks guys".<br>"No problem... Wait, your dad"?

Looking at the other figure who was with April, now maintaining his distance, and giving a very curious look on how April and the Turtles interacted, Donnie then recognized him as April's father, for he had seen pictures of April and her father in her apartment in the 498 Block, and said to the stunned man, "Hey, Mr O'Neil". Then looking at the expressions on his face, April calmed her dad down, "It's okay dad, really. They are my friends. You can trust them".

After eventually seeing his daughter's eyes, that told the truth, Kirby sighed, "And I thought I've seen everything"...

Leonardo, however interrupted, "Anyways, now that we're all acquainted, everyone, we've gotta go. April, Mr O'Neil, we're going to get you out of here".

* * *

><p><strong>Woooooooo. That was something...<strong>

**Man, Doctor Stockman will be apoplectic when he hears things arn't going well.**

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and see you next time.**


	25. Escaping Stocktronics Part 1

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>Doctor Baxter Stockman's Office, 188th Floor, Stocktronics Building, Upper-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 6th, 2183<em>.

"Where are they? They should have been here by now"!

Chucking a datapad onto his desk angrily, Doctor Stockman breathed out heavily as he paced anxiously around his office, whilst Jean Tremblay looked on, with a mixture of fury, amusement and worry. She was angry with the methods that Doctor Stockman took with his security forces, and now they had proved fruitless. And furthermore, Doctor Stockman made a mistake, for the elevator was an obvious bait that Stockman took.

Then came the decision that Stockman made, in having April O'Neil and her father brought to his office. _What a total idiot_!  
>Jean Tremblay knew well that it was better to have held a good defensive position, rather than risk an ambush.<p>

But then her thoughts were interrupted by a chime on the door and Doctor Stockman seemed to immediately assume that it was his thugs. Stockman then said to his VI, "open the door, if you please".

"_At once, Doctor Stockman_", came Hooker's reply.

The doors to his office slid open and then, to Stockman's horror, it was not his thugs. But the intruders, and both Stockman and Tremblay were now seeing them in the flesh.  
>And they looked like humanoid turtles, just like the thugs from earlier had stated.<p>

But further analyzing would have had to wait as one of them, a red masked turtle, with one Sai in each hand, went up to Stockman, grabbed him by his suit and slammed him right up against the wall.  
>But before Tremblay could do anything, a blue masked turtle, with what appeared to be katana blades, one in each hand, approached her and drew his blades right near her neck, and keeping a vigilant eye on her, daring her to make a move.<p>

The blue masked turtle then barked out orders, without keeping his eyes off Tremblay, "Okay, Donnie, Mikey, cover the door. Nothing gets past us, do you understand me"?  
>"Understood Leo"!<p>

And a tall lean purple masked turtle, along with an freckled short orange masked turtle, soon took positions near the door, whilst the purple one closed the door and went onto his omni-tool, supposedly locking it, which was confirmed when the holographic interface, went red.

Stockman, being held at knifepoint (for lack of a better word), was trembling and stuttered out, "J-j-just w-w-wha-what ar-ar-are y-y-you freaks"!?  
>The word freak, however soon set off the red masked turtle, who slammed Stockman into the wall harder than before, and said "Shut it, Stockton, er, Stockboy, or whatever your name is! Before I give you a taste of some Turtle medicine"!<p>

And then the orange masked turtle shouted out, "Lame"!

The blue Turtle however, still not taking his eyes off Tremblay, went, "Enough, all of you! Mr O'Neil, can you find us a way out"?

Kirby O'Neil had gotten over to the desk and started typing on the keyboard, and when the question was asked, shook his head and stated, "Stocktronics is in complete lockdown. All the skycars are on the ground floor and we won't be able to get down there... Wait wait"!  
>"What is it, Mr O'Neil"?<br>"There's a hangar on the 100th Floor, and there are some skycars and skytrucks in there".  
>"And we can use those to escape. Good work"!<p>

Doctor Stockman, overhearing this, shouted, "You'll regret this, Kirby! You'll regret the moment you decided to peek your nose into places you shouldn't! This is bigger than you and your daughter, and it'll mean the death of you, your daughter and your helpers! Mark my words, Cerberus will have your heads for as long as you live"!

Tremblay immediately shouted out, "STOCKMAN"!, but was silenced from saying anything further, when the blue masked Turtle stiffened his katanas.  
>Doctor Stockman was now squirming, and the red masked turtle was struggling to get a hold on him.<p>

The blue masked turtle, then went, "Alright, enough! Mr O'Neil, we've got our exit. We're leaving! Mikey, Donnie, open the door and take the lead to the elevator, me and Raph will be right behind you with Mr O'Neil and April"!

And soon, Tremblay saw that Kirby was taking whatever was on Doctor Stockman's desk. Including OSDs.  
>Her eyes narrowed at this, due to that one of those OSDs held very incriminating information.<p>

But then suddenly, Doctor Stockman, got free from the red masked turtle's grip and grabbed a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy and swiped it at the red masked turtle's head, smashing it and causing him to be knocked out. The blue masked turtle, holding Tremblay with katanas near her neck, turned to look, and shouted, "Raph"!  
>Tremblay, soon quickly took her moment, by switching a switch on one of her bracelets and then punching her hands right onto the plastrons of the turtle right in front of her. And the shock bracelets, that were issued by Cerberus, worked well. The Turtle was knocked back, disorientated from the shock and she took the opportunity to make a right swing at his jaw, knocking him flat on the floor.<p>

A shout of "Leo!" came, and she soon saw the purple masked turtle, swing a wooden stick at her face. Hard. And that was all she registered as the world turned to black.

* * *

><p><em>This is not good, this is not good, what do I do now<em>!?, came the anxious and agitated thoughts from Donatello, who along with Mikey, were caught by surprise that Leo and Raph were knocked out, by an unidentified woman in Doctor Stockman's office, as well as Doctor Stockman himself.

Mikey had taken care of Doctor Stockman himself, knocking him out, whilst Donnie knocked out the woman who was quite a mystery, in regards to who she was and what she was.

But all questions would have had to wait, as Donnie was asked by Mikey, "Hey, Don, Donnie? Are you okay? You're sort of hyperventilating, dude".  
>Confusion came, as Donnie answered, "What"?, and realization came upon him, "Oh, right, sorry. Just panicked. Anyways, let's get the hell out of here".<p>

But then suddenly, a loud sound made them jump. Banging on the door to Stockman's office, and shouts, from guards presumably.  
>"Open up in there! Open up in there"!<p>

Donnie, soon looked around the room and saw that Mikey, April and Mr O'Neil were all looking right at him, and it soon dawned on Donnie, that it was now up to him on what to do. Looking around, he saw Leo's unconscious form, and tried shaking him out of unconsciousness, while he looked at Mikey, who was near Raph, and said, "Mikey, try and see if you can get Raph back on his feet".  
>Mikey replied with "Righty o, Donnie"!, and put a hand to his chin, sort of dramatically, as he went, "hmmmm..., how do I usually wake him up"?<br>And as he produced two Shuko, or ninja hand claws, which pretty much summed it up to the likes of Mikey, he put them on both his hands and started rubbing them on Raph's feet, saying "Tickle, tickle, tickle"! and repeating it over and over, much to Donnie's alarm.

"Mikey! Shuko arn't tickling tools"!  
>Mikey, looked at Donnie, and pouted, as he then put away the Shuko, and muttered, "You just wanna suck the joy out of everything..."<p>

Then, suddenly, groaning came from two unconscious turtles, and both Donnie and Mikey tended to them.  
>And as Leo went, "Did anybody get the number of that...", Donnie asked, "You okay Leo"?<p>

Leo looked at Donnie and replied, "Yeah, no problem..."  
>Donnie extended a hand to Leo, and Leo grabbed it, and Donnie pulled him up onto his feet.<p>

Meanwhile, Mikey asked Raph, who had awoken, if he was alright, and thus gave off a response that only Raph could say.  
>"No, I'm not alright! I got knocked out by a freaking nerdy scientist with a bottle of champagne"!<br>"Urrrr, technically, that bottle is..."  
>"Don't care, Donnie"!<p>

And that pretty much ended discussion.

Then, Mr O'Neil then shouted, "I did it! Now just to destroy this...", and went onto his omni-tool. And soon, Doctor Stockman's desk computer terminal was destroyed in a small burst of explosion.  
>Leo, quickly took charge. "Now that everything's settled here, then let's get out of here. Donnie, I need you to open this door, and we'll make our way to the 100th Floor. April, Mr O'Neil, stay close to Raph. Mikey, you're with me".<br>But Donnie was hesitant, and said, "Urrrrr..., Leo, I don't know if you've noticed, but we've got company on the other side. And they'll have guns. How are we going to get pass them"?  
>Raph butted in, "It's simple, genius! We open the door and smash some heads..."<br>"But we'll be gunned down before we'll do that, Raph. We're pretty much trapped in this room and we've got no way out, except the door. And I don't know if there's anything in the way of an ventilation shaft or disposal shaft, Mr O'Neil"?  
>A shake of the head from him, and Leo sighed, putting his hands on his head in frustration, leaning back until he saw the light. <em>Wait a moment<em>...  
>"That's it! Alright, I've got an idea. Donnie, Mikey, Raph, on me. I'll give you the full brief".<p>

* * *

><p>The guards outside Doctor Stockman's office were now working relentlessly to try and open the doors, and had people with omni-tools equipped with torch cutter functions trying to cut through the door. But it was a very lengthy process.<p>

The chief security guard, then approached a security guard and asked, "Have you made any further progress on getting Doctor Stockman's VI to open the door"?  
>A shake of the head and "No sir. The VI's programmed to respond to commands from Doctor Stockman only, and since he's inside the room..."<br>"Then, we're not getting into the office that easily. Okay then, thank you. You're dismissed". The guard departed and left, while the chief security guard, groaned heavily in frustration, and then shouted to the guards using the torch cutters, "Hurry the fuck up! How's progress"?  
>"Sir, we're halfway done"!<br>A smile on the lead security guard's face appeared, and he replied, "Good job. We can then eliminate these intruders and get our boss out of the sticky situation. At least something's going right for once..."

And then, the other security guards, working on the door, shouted back, "We're more than halfway now. Around 70%! And we'll be through in no time"!  
>"Excellent. Everyone, get your weapons ready and if you see anything that isn't human, kill it".<p>

The lead security guard then reached his Hahne-Kedar Lancer assault rifle from his back, and it unfolded from it's concealed state to it's full state, and he readied for the torch cutters to finish.  
>And soon, they were done, cutting a circle around the door, and they were able to reach a special component of the door, a emergency release mechanism. Soon, the guards got their omni-tools and started unlocking it, to make the mechanism unlock the door.<p>

The door slid open, and all the guards aimed their weapons right into the room, which had no light in it at all, which was peculiar. The intruders in Stockman's office had taken down the lighting.

But before they could do anything, something was thrown right at them, and upon hitting some of the guards, they were blinded by a powder that was produced upon the happō exploding upon contact.  
>And the Turtles charged immediately in, sparing no expense in taking down the guards with no hesitation.<p>

And seemingly, in no time at all, the guards were down on the ground. With this, Leo then shouted, "Alright guys! Let's move. April, Mr O'Neil, let's go, we're going to the elevator. Double time"!  
>April and her father emerged from Doctor Stockman's office and sprinted, as the Turtles also ran for the elevator.<p>

And despite the head start that the Turtles had, April and Kirby were surprisingly keeping up with the Turtles, as they then, went through corridors and down some stairs, to eventually reach the elevator.  
>When they reached it, the Turtles allowed April and her father in, before they themselves entered the elevator, and Donnie, pressed the button for the 100th Floor. The elevator doors closed and soon, the elevator made it's descent.<p>

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><p><strong>Well, I've been hard at work at this chapter and I certainly hope that all that hard work has been worth it. Enjoy!<strong>

**And don't forget to leave a review and see you next time!**

**Update (22/9/14): Changed a line, due to an important plot element coming up in later chapters.  
>Update (2110/14): Some grammar problem that I just fixed.**


	26. Escaping Stocktronics Part 2

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>Elevator heading down to the 100th Floor, Stocktronics Building, Upper-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 6th, 2183<em>.

Within the confined spaces of the elevator, that was descending down, Mikey seemed to think that they were 'home free' from now on. But Leo shook his head and reprimanded his youngest brother, "Mikey, we've only just escaped the top floor. This isn't over, especially when we get to the 100th Floor".  
>"Oh, come on! What's the worst that can happen"?<p>

And after that, suddenly, the elevator lights blackened, and the elevator suddenly lurched to a stop. The emergency lighting kicked in, and everyone was starting to get worried.  
>April spoke first, "I'm not sure if that's supposed to happen or not, but that doesn't sound good..."<br>Her father replied to that, "No, it doesn't..."

A punch to Mikey's arm and "What was that for"?!  
>Raph replied, "You really just had to say it, didn't you? 'What's the worst that can happen'? Seriously Mikey. Whenever someone says that, bad stuff happens"!<br>Leo interrputed, "Now's not a great time for this"!

And then, all of a sudden, the elevator dropped, like a stone in freefall. And briefly, it's occupants went in freefall for a short while, before landing, losing their balance and falling on their backs (or shells, if you were a mutant turtle).  
>"Donnie, stop this elevator. Mr O'Neil, see if you can help him"!<br>Donnie moved over to the elevator controls and Mr O'Neil, despite the fact that some thing, that looked like a teenager, gave him orders, moved to Donnie's side, looking over his left shoulder, ready to help.  
>But Donnie's attempts to interface with the elevator controls failed. "It's no good, the elevator controls are completely shut down! Stockman must have shut down this entire elevator so we can't stop it. There's nothing we can do"!<br>"Leo, what do we do"?  
>Faced with a speeding elevator falling down the shaft quickly, and with no guarantee of getting to the 100th Floor, Leo was at a loss of what to say to the only biotic in the family...<br>_Wait a minute, that's it_!

Then Leo decided.  
>"Mikey, you get to the top of the elevator and use your biotics on the brakes to slow this elevator down! It's our only chance"!<br>But Donnie interrupted, "Leo, Mikey's amps won't hold the strain for that long"!  
>"What choice do we have Donnie? It's the only way, or we can pretty much kiss goodbye to our escape! Raph, open the access hatch"!<p>

The red masked turtle soon did that easily enough, twisting a handle to unlock it, and nudging the hatch wide open. Then he shouted, "C'mon, Mikey, up you get"!

Despite Mikey moving into position, he faced Leo and said, "Are you sure about this Leo"?  
>"Yes, I'm sure! Now go! We're all depending on you"!<p>

Mikey got through the hatch after Raph used his hands as a step and lifted Mikey to enable him to get through the hatch.  
>And once Mikey was on the roof of the elevator, which keeping steady wasn't an easy task to do on the rapidly falling elevator, he set about harnessing the eezo modules in his nervous system, and looked at the elevator brakes. Once he managed to harness the modules, the process of performing biotics was pretty much second nature to Mikey as he used his biotics on the brakes. The first few attempts were futile, but after taking a deep breath, and realizing that everything depended on him, Mikey soon did the unthinkable.<p>

He began to unleash his full energies onto the process. With the biotics straining a lot, the brakes kicked in and sparks started spewing as the lift started slowing, with only the brakes left to stop the elevator from falling.  
>Continuing to put everything he got into the brakes, Mikey could also feel the pain rushing through his arms, but willed himself to ignore it.<br>_C'mon, Mikey, focus_! _Your bros are depending on you_!

And despite the pain getting worse and worse, Mikey was also struggling to hold in the inevitable screams that he'd be shouting under such pain.  
>But he couldn't hold it all in, and screamed.<p>

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**",  
>and by now, Mikey was really feeling the pain, which was like the sensation of pins and needles in his arms multiplied by five times, and he was now starting to feel the drain, as his biotic amps could now no longer hold up. His legs were shaking and he fell to his knees.<p>

"MIKEY"!

Someone shouted his name, but Mikey was too drained of energy or thinking power, to remember who it was.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the incredibly short chapter guys, but I am just not able to get the extra motivation to get further on this chapter. But no worries. The next chapter will still continue with the Turtles', April and Kirby's escape.<strong>

**Anyways, the season finale of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 2 was quite a shocker!**

**Can't wait for season 3!**

**Also, don't forget to leave a review whenever you can!**


	27. Escaping Stocktronics Part 3

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect does not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>The 100th Floor, Stocktronics Building, Upper-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 6th 2183<em>.

On the 100th Floor of the Stocktronics Building, the elevator doors opened and Leonardo poked his head out, looking in all directions, then producing a satisfied look on his face, before looking back at the occupants of the elevator.  
>"Alright, coast is clear, let's go".<p>

And after Leonardo moved out first, his two katanas, one at the ready in each hand, eyes moving around and checking around for any threat, Raph followed, supporting Mikey, who had collapsed in antagonizing pain, due to him straining his biotic amps. But it meant that Raph had to have Mikey's right arm on him and have his own left arm on Mikey.

Then Donatello followed, along with April and Kirby, and Leo spoke up, "Alright, guys, we need to get to the hangar pronto. Don't waste your time here, just move with all due haste, get to the hangar and we'll work out something once we get there. Let's move"!

The four turtles and the two humans soon increased their walking speed, but not enough to be in a rush, as so to discomfort Mikey. And soon enough, they got company as they went along. 5 guards entered the hallway and blocked their way, aiming their Hahne-Kedar assault rifles at the intruders as well as Kirby and April O'Neil.

Sprinting towards the guards, Leo shouted to Donnie, "Donnie, I'll take 'em down, you'll get Raph, Mikey, April and Mr O'Neil out of here and to the hangar"!, and soon, Leo charged into the fray, right at the guards, swiping his katanas at the guards, who despite being armoured with Heavy Mantis armor, much bulker than the Light Mantis armor, was able to cut through due to the monomolecular generator in his katanas.

One by one, the guards dropped dead to the floor.  
>Leonardo didn't really have time to think about that he killed humans as well as a Salarian, but he had heeded Splinter's advice from earlier, before they went out to Stocktronics.<br>And between them and his brothers, he knew what he had to do.

Soon enough, Leonardo wasted no time, as he rejoined the rest of the group.

Donnie then went, "Mr O'Neil, are you sure there's a hangar on this floor"?  
>"Yes, Hangar 4 is on this floor. I'm certain of it. I do, of course, work in this very building and I know the directions to it, even though I've never been in there".<p>

Leonardo then went, "Okay, Mr O'Neil, lead the way. Donnie, stick with him".  
>Mr O'Neil, was curious about why he needed to have a giant talking turtle at his side, when he could just lead them on, but Leo went, "True, but are you armed with any weapons, Mr O'Neil"?<br>"Well, no..."  
>"Or perhaps you know any form of martial arts"?<br>"No..."  
>"Exactly, and that's why Donnie's at the front with you. I need someone at the front, whilst I'm defending you guys from anything coming from behind".<br>Then Leo smiled, "and besides, you and Donnie would have a field day getting to know each other. As I understand, Mr O'Neil, our resident genius would love to chat with a fellow scientist like you".  
>"Well, I'm not really a scientist, I'm more of a computer programmer than anything else".<p>

Then, Donnie smiled and went, "That's no worries, Mr O'Neil. I think you and I are going to get along just fine".

And so, Donnie and Kirby O'Neil lead (with Kirby going where Hangar 4 was), ahead of April, Raph and Mikey, along with Leo, who was keeping an eye on where he was going, as much as he was keeping an eye on threats from behind.

But they had not counted on a camera mounted within the corridor that was watching them and listening in.

* * *

><p>Within the office of Doctor Baxter Stockman, the man in question went on his omni-tool to a certain group of security guards on the 100th Floor and said, "The intruders are heading down for Hangar 4", to which the reply came, asking for clarification and Stockman responded, "Yes I'm certain! Now shut up and get over there and do not let them escape! Whatever you do, do not let them escape this building! They have stolen an important OSD and they must not be allowed to escape! And make sure you get them alive and unharmed, especially Kirby O'Neil and his daughter"!<p>

* * *

><p>Just as the group of guards were now diverting to the hangar, the four Turtles and 2 humans had now reached the hangar, where they looked around for a vehicle.<p>

Leo saw a skycar and pointed over, saying, "Let's take that and get out of here".  
>But Donnie put a hand on his shoulder, forcing Leo to look at him, and shook his head, replying "No go on that one Leo. An X3M Skycar will only fit 4 people, and there's six of us present".<p>

Raph then interrupted, "Well, how else are we going to get out? Jump out through those blue screens over there"?, indicating to the blue force field at the other end of the hangar, it being the only barrier between Stocktronics and the rest of the Tayseri Ward.

Leonardo looked around and saw something else, whistling to get the others' attention, pointed to the Stocktronics Skytruck and went smugly, "I think that'll do. you agree, Donnie"?  
>A nod of the head from the tall, lean Turtle, and Leo smiled, saying only one thing.<p>

"Anyone know how to drive"?

* * *

><p><strong>Well, well, well. After Season 2's ending, I was anxious to see what Season 3 had in store, and "Within the Woods" didn't disappoint. A great villain, as well as a great job depicting Leonardo after what happened in "The Invasion". You know, when I first heard that Jason Biggs wasn't going to voice Leo for Season 3 and was being replaced by Seth Green, I was a bit skeptical that they'd actually be able to pull it off, and I was sorta used to Jason Biggs' voice on Leonardo. But the reasoning for Leo's voice change made complete sense, it fits in and Seth Green actually does Leonardo well. So, I'm pretty happy with the voice change, but if anyone asks if I'm happy with Season 3 so far, well, we've all just seen one episode and there's plenty more to come, so we'll see.<strong>

**Anyways, onto this chapter. The whole escaping Stocktronics bit is harder than it looks, from my perspective, at least. But at least, I managed to get to the hangar! Next chapter, I'm going to have a Skytruck chase! I can't wait! :D**

**So don't forget to leave a review whenever you can.**

**Update (13/10/14): Gave the hangar a specific name as well as changing a word, as well as giving a reason on how the Turtles were able to find the hangar, as well as a bit of conversation.**


	28. Escaping Stocktronics Part 4

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>Hangar 4, 100th Floor, Stocktronics Building, Upper-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 6th, 2183<em>.

A group of 13 guards, all in a hurried pace, entered the hangar, just in time to see a Stocktronics skytruck take off vertically. And just as the guards brought up their assault rifles onto the skytruck, it sped off, through the forcefield.

And just as they absorbed what just happened, the leader of the guards then shouted, "Well don't just stand there you idiots! Get in the cars and chase them down! And remember, Doctor Stockman wants them alive"!

Soon enough, the guards started rushing to all of the X3M Skycars in the hangar, and got in, and set about pursuing the skytruck that the intruders, who took Kirby O'Neil and his daughter with them, were fleeing in.

* * *

><p>Within that particular Skytruck, Kirby O'Neil was driving, with Donnie right in the passenger seat, whilst Leo, Raph, Mikey and April were within the back.<p>

Leo then asked Raph, "How's Mikey doing"?

But before Raph would give a reply, Mikey soon got up, with Raph and Leo quickly forcing him to sit down.  
>"Sit down, Mikey, you're not in a condition to fight".<br>"I'm ready, Leo! Just give me my nunchucks and I'm good to go"!  
>"No. You strained your amps. And you collapsed under that pain, so much Raph had to help you to the hangar. So, no more biotic displays until Donnie checks you out back at the lair. And more importantly, no fighting bad guys from now on, Mikey. And that's an order".<p>

"Awwwww...", Mikey groaned as he put his arms on his legs, but April put a hand on his right shoulder. Mikey looked at her, and she gave a sad smile to the orange masked turtle, before patting her hand on his shoulder. Mikey smiled.

Leo and Raph, looked at this exchange, before turning to one another, with Raph stating, "Anyway, don't worry, Leo, Mikey will be fine. Anyways, we're home free. No one's going to pursue us in this truck', pounding his right fist at the rear door to indicate the truck, 'so, just sit down and enjoy the ride, fearless leader".  
>With Raph sitting down, Leo sat down also, but the leader in blue, wasn't so certain.<p>

"I dunno, Raph. But I get the feeling this isn't over yet".

* * *

><p>Within the driver's compartment, Kirby drove, for he and Donnie had planned on landing the skytruck at a parking lot, where they could then go on foot to get to a sewer entrance.<br>Kirby had wanted to get to his place the 498 Block, but Donnie had told him not go there.  
>"Doctor Stockman would probably be having people at the 498 Block right now, ready to ambush us all. Your place is not safe. Our place is".<br>"Down a sewer"?  
>"Urm, Mr O'Neil, I'm sorry we're having to have you and April forced into this situation but it's for your safety. And April's".<br>At the mention of his daughter, Kirby was silent, but after a few minutes, he then asked, "Is your place safe"?

Donnie pondered Kirby's question and went, "Look, Mr O'Neil, the sewers are very widespread and we've got a place down there that's not been discovered by any of the inhabitants of the surface world for all the time we've been down there".  
>"Surface world? Ur, you do know that this isn't a planet, Mr Donatello".<br>"Please, just call me Donnie, Mr O'Neil, and yeah, but that term is what we've always referred to, to the inhabitants of Tayseri Ward all our lives".  
>"And you've not been up to the surface before now"?<br>"No, we haven't...", but then Donnie saw something in the side mirrors (an option not on X3M skycars, but stock issue on skytrucks due to a rear view mirror being impractical for a skytruck), and squinted to take a closer look.

Mr O'Neil, still driving, managed to see that Donnie was staring at the right side mirror, and asked, "What is it, Donnie"?  
>"Oh, shell..., Mr O'Neil, step on it"!<br>"Why? What's going on"?  
>"Just put your foot down"!<p>

And after Kirby complied, Donnie pounded his right elbow on the wall behind him, to the cargo compartment, and shouted "Guys, we've got company"!

* * *

><p>3 X3M Skycars were now pursuing the Skytruck, containing 4 of Stockman's security forces in each of the cars.<p>

The lead car's driver, soon got on his omni-tool and spoke to the commander, still at Stocktronics, "Sir, we are in close pursuit with the target vehicle. Request permission to take down with heavy ordnance".  
>The response was quick, "Denied. Doctor Stockman wants them all alive and we cannot risk attention from C-Sec with a high-speed car chase over the Ward. Force the truck down. Gently", and then the commander cut his end of the call.<p>

Growling, the lead car's driver tried to think on how to get the skytruck down without killing the occupants.  
><em>Can't use heavy ordnance, so cannot use rockets or grenade launchers, but we need to bring down the skytruck without making C-Sec aware of a high speed chase throughout the Wards. So how I stop the truck without being<em>..., _in front, wait a moment_...

Getting onto his omni-tool, he contacted the drivers of the 2 other cars, "Okay, here's what we've got to do. We're under orders not to kill them, so we cannot merely shoot them down. But what we can do is this. I'm gonna get ahead of that skytruck and you two are gonna take the left and right hand sides. Danny, you take the left. Bruno, you take the right. Understood"?

An affirmative answer from them both and the lead driver soon set about trying to get ahead of the skytruck, increasing his speed to full throttle, pushing the engine as hard as he could.

* * *

><p>The three turtles and one human in the back were completely oblivious to the view outside, for the cargo compartment had no windows.<br>Leo knew this and went to the door, working at the door mechanism.

Raph saw this and shouted, "Whoa! Leo, what are you doing"?  
>"Getting a better view".<p>

Working his way through the omni-tool, Leo soon managed to override the safety protocols on the door, and got onto unlocking the door.  
>Soon, Mikey took notice at Leo's actions and went, "Oh man..., this always happens in the vids! Somebody gets sucked out of a flying object once a window explodes or a door is ripped open. Well it ain't gonna be me"! And just as he was about to go and secure himself from the inevitable, Mikey looked at April and said "You'd better hold onto something, April". Mikey and April, soon moved towards the back, and got ahold of some handles on the roof.<p>

Raph then said to Leo, "Alright Leo, once you get that door open, what's the plan"?  
>"Getting a look on what's going on outside".<br>"And after"?  
>"Honestly? I haven't got that far ahead".<br>Then after working through the unlocking process, "Almost done, and, YES! I did it. Now, let's get out there"!  
>"'bout damn time".<p>

Pulling the handle up, as so to open the door, the rear cargo compartment was then exposed to rushing winds that would have sucked everyone out, but Mikey and April had gotten ahold of handles on the roof, and both Leo and Raph followed their example, as they were almost about to be sucked out.  
>But whilst maintaining a steady hold, Leo soon took a look, and saw 3 skycars, one of which, was about to make an overtaking maneuver on the truck's left side. He then reckoned that they might be onto something, and despite not knowing what that was, soon decided to take action. He got some shuriken from his belt and aimed it for the driver. Throwing them, the shuriken instead embedded themselves in the windows, but it certainly unnerved the driver, for his car started maneuvering around erratically and moved further back slightly.<p>

Then Leo took his chance to do something further, and a bit crazy, and thus, began to time his jump onto the skycar. For if he didn't get this one right, he'd be falling splat right into the Wards.  
>And whilst trying to judge the right time to jump onto the skycar, he subconsciously started whispering to himself, "Steady...", over and over again.<br>Raph noticed this and went, "Leo, what are you planning on doing now"?  
>"Getting closer".<p>

And then he let go of the handle, ran and jumped. Right for the skycar that was now behind them.

Time didn't really slow down for Leo, for it was a span of 4 seconds in which he jumped from the truck, onto the car, and he managed to hit the front bonnet, grabbing the edge and feeling the high rushing winds that were pounding on Leo. Taking a look at the passengers inside, Leo saw that the driver, with a shocked look on his face, soon growled and shouted an instruction to the security guard that was sitting next to him.  
>That passenger, soon kicked open what was called "the clamshell door", which opened from the left side of the car, got a Hahne-Kedar Kessler pistol in his left hand, gripped a handle on the central canopy section, leaned out of the vehicle and tried to aim his weapon at Leo, who was now holding the front bonnet with his left hand, and using his right hand to draw out one of his katanas, but decided the effort was not worth it in the end, and started using both hands to grip the bonnet.<p>

The guard soon fired his weapon wildly, and without any chance of hitting Leo, but every shot made Leo hug the bonnet for dear life. But Leo also inched closer to the guard, hoping to find his opportunity to attack. And once he found it, he took it.  
>Getting a shuriken, the last one in his belt, he soon looked at the guard who was trying his hardest to aim his pistol at Leo.<br>And when the opportunity presented itself, Leo soon threw the shuriken right for the arm. And thus, the shuriken embedded itself in the arm, causing the guard to drop his weapon, and scream in agony. Leo also took the opportunity to move closer, and got in grabbing distance with the guard.  
>And Leo did so, grabbing his arm and pulling him right out of the skycar, plummeting down right into the Ward, and Leo swung into the car, where the driver, with a shocked look, tried to maneuver the car wildly, as so to throw Leo out of the car, but Leo managed to hold on.<br>But Leo soon faced other problems, with the two guards in the two rear passenger seats reaching out to grab him and hold him down. And soon, enough, the inside of the car was total chaos, as Leo and two guards were grabbing, punching and kicking all over the place.

The driver was soon getting very distracted and was not able to pursue the skytruck, as it now slowed down and the other two sped past, pursuing the skytruck.

And just as the driver soon withdrew his own Kessler pistol, Leo kicked him right in the face, knocking him out and falling right down on the controls, which now caused the skycar to start a collision course with the streets below.

People down below were now watching a speeding skycar on a collision course with the street, and thus panic ensured as they tried to get out of the way.

Leo, still struggling against the guards, eventually managed to get free, and got into the passenger seat to brace for impact, as the street got closer and closer through the window.

* * *

><p>"Urrrrrrgghhhhh..."<p>

Opening a single eyelid, then the other eye, Leo soon found it difficult to move around.  
>Confused as to this, he looked around and saw that the skycar was a complete wreck. It's passengers (well except for the Turtle himself), all dead.<p>

Grunting, for he was feeling slight pain all around his body, it was slow going, until Leo soon stopped and allowed feeling to flow through his limbs and then get out a bit more easily. The clam shell door had been ripped from the car upon crash landing, so the door was open for Leo to get out of the car, quite literally.

Getting to the end, Leo soon jumped out of the car and looked around. Debris all over the place, and thus, no civilians around, much to his relief. But he knew that it wouldn't last long, and already, he knew that if he continued sticking around, things would be very tricky. C-Sec and Citadel Emergency Services were already on their way, judging by the sirens in the air, and thus, Leo moved the other way, jumping over the wrecked skycar, and then getting onto his omni-tool to contact Donnie.

After working through with the functions, and then calling Donnie, he soon was forced to wait as the pleasant female voice told him that the call was being sent and then 'wait until the person you are calling picks up your call', and then, a dial tone like noise droned on and on.

"C'mon, c'mon..."

Eventually, as Leo went into the backstreets, to stop in a secluded space, the call went through, and the sound of Donatello's voice made Leo smile for a brief moment.  
>"Leo? Leo, is that you"?<br>"Yeah, it's me, Donnie. Listen, I've crashed in a street, but don't worry, I'm okay. I'm gonna see if I can find a access hatch for the sewers and then get back to the lair. How are things on your end"?  
>"Yeah, we're managing. These two skycars just won't let up"!<br>Grimacing, Leo then sighed and went, "Shake them off your tail, Donnie. Whatever it takes. Then, once you've done that, find a spot to land and get to an access hatch for the sewers and get back to the lair pronto. Okay"?  
>"Yeah, understood, Leo. You sure you don't want us to pick you up..."?<br>"No. I'm okay, Donnie. Really. Anyways, I don't know where I am, and you'll just be inviting more trouble as it is. Those skycars, lose them, then get to the lair, pronto! You read me"?  
>"Yeah, yeah, I read ya, Leo".<br>"Good. Now, I'll see you back at the lair. Leo out".

Closing the call, then switching off his omni-tool, Leonardo, soon looked around the space he was in, and started looking for an access hatch.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in the skytruck, Donatello was now keeping a watch on the two skycars still pursuing them via putting the side-windows down and poking his head right through the window to look at the skycars.<p>

They were still closing in, but they just seemed to be just following the skytruck and not taking any sort of initiative, other than just following their target.

_Their commander must have been in the skycar that Leo brought down_, thought Donatello.

And as Donnie tried to think of an maneuver, he mentally searched through his brain for a solution, mumbling to himself something unpronounceable. All the while, Mr O'Neil was still trying to lose their pursuers, but soon found out that the engines were struggling under the strain that he was putting them through.

_How to lose your pursuers whilst being chased, How to lose your pursuers whilst being chased, How to lose your pursuers whilst being chased_..._, wait, that's it_...  
>Donnie soon brightened and wooped as he fist-pumped in the air and celebrated.<br>Kirby looked at him in confusion and panic, half-wondering if the turtle was insane or had come up with some brilliant solution to their predicament.

"So, Donatello, want to tell me why you're so suddenly cheery despite the fact we've got two skycars pursuing us"?  
>With a smile on his face, Donatello looked at Kirby and said, "Because I've found a solution".<br>"And that is"?  
>"Simple. Stop running".<br>His hands frozen for a slight moment, Kirby shook his head and replied, "Wait, I'm sorry. What"?  
>"Stop running"!<p>

Kirby now looked at the smiling turtle as if he were crazy, and simply said, "How does stop running solve our problem"?

"Okay, it's like this. Do what your enemy never expects you to do. And this is what they won't be expecting. Stop completely".

"Stop, as in like, pull the handbrake, and the vehicle stops"?  
>"Yep".<br>"And then what"?  
>"Land and we get out on foot".<p>

Nodding his head, Kirby was silent but then said, "Yeah, but there's a problem. How do you know if one of those skycars' arn't going to crash into the back of us, where April and your brothers are, no doubt, might I ask"?  
>Donnie then displayed a worried look on his face, and he looked off to one side to think for a moment, as he knew Kirby was right.<br>But a solution came up and said, "I've got an idea. Let's fly down closer to the Wards and drop off April, Raph and Mikey in the back, then we'll be bait".  
>"What"?<br>"Yes. Their focus will be on the skytruck and we'll pull the handbrake on them".  
>"Okay then, but you'll need to make it snappy, Donatello".<p>

Getting onto his omni-tool, Donnie soon contacted Raph in the cargo compartment.  
>"What'd ya want, Don"?<br>"Okay, Raph. Listen closely, I need you to go and get April and Mikey with you and when I say so, you jump out of this skycar, then you find a backstreet and try and find an access hatch to get into the sewers. Me and Mr O'Neil will find our own way.  
>"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, are you sure? Donnie, we're not leaving you and Mr O'Neil".<br>"Raph, don't argue with me and just do it"!  
>"Hey, you're not the leader, so you can't order me..."<br>"Raph, I know I'm not leader but this is the best solution I've devised and I know what I'm doing! So just do as I say and we'll all get back to the lair"!  
>A growl, and a sigh, and then, "Alright Nerd-a-tello, you win. I just hope you really know what you're doing".<br>"Alright. Keep this channel open so I can tell you when to get off".

Without waiting for Raph's reply, Donnie soon patted Kirby's shoulder, indicating for him to start the plan, but before the skytruck could descend, it was rocked by two impacts on both sides of the truck. Donnie turned to look at the side mirrors and saw the two skycars at each side of the truck, very close. Somehow, Donnie remembered that he still had the window open and pressed the button for the window to go up, which it did in a mere 4 seconds.

Soon, Kirby looked at his mirror and saw the other skycar on his side of the skytruck, and then turned to Donnie, saying "What do we do now, Donatello"?

And soon, the communication function on his omni-tool, still on, erupted with Raph and Mikey asking what was going on, and what were they going to do now.

Then, Donnie panicked and froze, unsure of what to do in this situation.

* * *

><p>Within a secluded backstreet on Tayseri Ward, at a opened access hatch, a dark green three fingered hand, reached for the inner handle of the access hatch, pulled it down and closed it silently.<p>

And within the sewers, a 5'2" dark green brawny mutant turtle, with khaki arm and feet wrappings, two sword sheaths on his shell that were linked by straps linked to a belt around the waist, jumped off the ladder he was climbing down, landed on the sewer floor gracefully, and moved onwards towards home, for he knew the way home by memory.  
>For the sewers were his home.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that certainly felt like I had written the longest chapter out of this story yet.<strong>

**And I had meant to end the skytruck chase on this chapter, but I instead opted for a cliffhanger, and a section which depicts Leo finding an access hatch (the Citadel's equivalent to a sewer hatch), and then moving on to get back to the lair.**

**Anyways, just watched the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie this monday, and to give you what I thought on the film?**  
><strong>I won't give away spoilers, but it was actually better than expected. Well, I didn't expect it to be the most perfect movie of 2014, but still, I found it very enjoyable, in terms of how the Turtles interacted, and were portrayed, and the action in it. Even though there were plot holes, I'll give it that, no film is perfect, no matter how much we like them to be. So overall, I was glad that it wasn't complete rubbish (and that judgement is what I reserve for films I absolutely loathe the most).<br>And as for if I'll include elements of the film in the series? Well, never say never...**

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review whenever you can, and see you next time!**


	29. Over the Wards and Back to the Sewers

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

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><p><em>Somewhere over the Mid-Ward District, Tayseri Ward, the Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<em>.  
><em>February 6th, 2183<em>.

Over the busy streets of the Citadel's Tayseri Ward, full of the many races doing whatever business they were doing, two X3M skycars were slamming into the sides of a skytruck.

And in the driver's compartment of the skytruck, Kirby was trying to snap the teenage mutant ninja turtle alongside him, the one called Donatello, out of his frozen trance.

And after the seventh attempt, Donnie suddenly shouted, "hit the brakes"!  
>"WHAT"?<br>"HIT THE BRAKES"!  
>"Are you serious"?<br>"HIT THE BRAKES NOW"!

Kirby slammed his foot on the brakes, causing the skytruck to stop in place and hover, just as the two skycars on either side, were about to slam into it again. But instead, they slammed right into each other, exploding and sending shrapnel flying everywhere as they fell down right down into the streets of the ward below.

Donnie and Kirby, in the driver compartment of the now hovering skytruck, watched the two skycars' mid-air collision and fall.  
>And soon, Donnie nudged Kirby to drive on. Kirby only nodded and soon began maneuvering the skytruck to where Donnie instructed him to land. At a parking lot.<p>

After finding the parking lot, Kirby soon lined up to land the skytruck in an allocated spot, and pressed the button to vertically land, as soon as a certain light turned green. This was to make sure that skycars and skytrucks didn't land on top of each other during vertical landing. And as the skytruck began it's steady descent, the occupants didn't feel a single jolt as the skytruck finally made a full stop.

* * *

><p>Over at a particular part of the Mid-Ward District, where the first skycar had crashed, due to Leonardo's actions, C-Sec had arrived and was now investigating the scene.<p>

Virtual police tape (with the words of "Crime Scene - Do Not Cross") was put up to prevent anyone from tampering with the scene, and soon, C-Sec specialist detectives (as well as detective investigators) were now all over the scene, doing the assigned jobs assigned to them by the lead investigator.

Some were running their omni-tools over the wrecked skycar and the surrounding area to check for specific fingerprints, some were interviewing witnesses, whilst the rest, were taking photographs.

The lead investigator was at the police line, with regular C-Sec officers who were assigned to keep anyone sneaking through the line. He wore blue and black light C-Sec armor, had blue lines as well as silver streaks on his face and mandibles, and what made him stand out, was the holographic eyepiece he wore over his left eye.

"Garrus"?

Detective Garrus Vakarian, the lead investigator, and in charge of around 6 specialist detectives and 3 detective investigators, turned to face Detective Varsryna I'asta, an Asari detective investigator, and one of Garrus's friends.

"Okay, what have you got for me, Vari"?  
>Blinking at his friendly nickname for her, despite all this time that she worked alongside him, Varsryna continued on and said, "Well, I've been talking to witnesses and they say that they didn't see much, except the fact that they looked up when the skycar crashed into the street. They took cover from it and apparently, one witness heard someone grunting in pain and seemingly getting out of the car, but no one saw him or her".<br>"No one saw anyone getting out of the car"?  
>"No. And that witness mentioned that he was too terrified to even move from where he was to see who this person was and only heard him".<br>"Hmmmmmm..."

As Garrus pondered to himself, his friend awaited his response.

"Anything else"?  
>"We've uncovered fingerprints on the car. Well, what's left of it, that is. And we've sent the data to the forensics lab and they should have the answers sometime soon".<br>"Good. Have the photographers taken their pictures"?  
>"They're finished".<br>"Good".  
>"What of those men inside the car? Any luck on getting them out"?<br>A shake of the head and, "No, the main canopy's too crushed and too heavily damaged to open. Not that we've tried, of course. You know we cannot tamper with the car in a specific way, Garrus. So wait until we gather the evidence..."  
>"And then we get the equipment to saw open the car, hence we'll waste time trying to get the door open, when we should be getting those responsible and bringing them to justice".<br>A sharp look from Varsryna, and she snapped "Garrus, we've been over this a dozen times already. It's not up to C-Sec to make sure they go to jail. That's up to the courts, not us. And procedure is clear, we collect all evidence, and then we come to the conclusion based on the evidence we have, and then we go on from there".  
>His mandibles flaring, Garrus angrily muttered, "procedure never makes sense..."<br>"Oh, for the goddess' sakes, it doesn't have to. Just follow it, Garrus"!  
>"And be the good little Turian that I'm supposed to be? Spirits, you sound exactly just like my father..."<br>"Well, since he's in retirement, I think I've every right to! He was a great Detective, and did things right to the book".  
>"That's the problem! Come on, Vari, even you should know that these criminals, they know our procedure right down to the very letter! They use it to their advantage. It hasn't changed ever since we came onto the Council and no one has the will to do so"!<p>

But before Varsryna could interrupted, an C-Sec officer who had earlier appeared at the police line and been admitted after stating his intentions, a Salarian, coughed to get Garrus' attention and went, "Urmm, Detective Garrus Vakarian"?

With his and Vari's very heated conversation now stopped, Garrus faced the Salarian C-Sec officer and said, "Yes"?

"I've got a message from the Executor".

Eyebrows raised and surprise on both Garrus and Vari's faces, the Salarian continued, "It states that your application to join the Specialist Investigations Branch has been approved and you'll take your new job in June, Detective Vakarian. Congratulations".  
>With even widened eyes, Vari looked at a now shocked Garrus, and she couldn't blame him. The Specialist Investigations Branch was a sub branch of the Investigations Division, their task being to investigate cases on the Spectres as well as diplomats and politicians on the Citadel. She knew that Garrus had applied to that branch, thinking that they had much looser oversight on how they did things, but like the Spectre application he put in last year, she didn't think he'd get through. But she was quite shocked.<p>

With the Salarian officer now having left, Vari then went, "Well, I'm, at a loss for words".  
>"You're not the only one".<br>"But I suppose, you're not going anytime soon, so why don't we get back to work"?  
>"Yeah, the forensics lab should have an answer to that mystery set of fingerprints, and see who or what it belongs to".<p>

Before Vari could reply, a bleeping on her omni-tool indicated that they might get their answers, and Vari accepted the call.

"Detective I'asta speaking".  
>Then after listening to the sender of the call give their introductions, Vari then went, "Oh, right. Okay, what have you got for us. Did you positively identify who the fingerprints belong to"?<br>Garrus couldn't hear them, for Vari was hearing the call in one of her cochlea implants.  
>And thus, was very surprised when Vari exploded, "WHAT"?<br>"But that's impossible! You must have got it wrong! Check it again"!

Garrus was pretty certain that they must have checked it again, for the answer made Vari reply, "Oh, what, you checked it 10 times? And you're certainly without a doubt"?

"Uhmmm. Okay, thank you".

Ending the call, Garrus asked, "Was that the lab"?  
>"Yes, they've read the prints, and guess what, they tell me that the prints did not belong to any known species in Citadel space! Can you believe that Garrus"?<br>"Well, it's a big galaxy, as I've heard so many humans around, say".

Snorting, Vari sighed and went, "Anyway, we're getting sidetracked. Let's just get finished up and head back to the precinct".

* * *

><p>In the sewers, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael were now leading April and Kirby O'Neil down to their home, much to Kirby's displeasure, for he was gagging at the smell of the sewage flowing right next to him, and had been reluctant to enter the sewers in the first place, but only came down, when April stated that it was okay for him to do so, for she had been down there.<p>

And after a long walk, Donnie, Mikey and Raph were now back home, with April and Kirby in tow. And Leo was waiting for them.

"Leo"!  
>"Donnie, Raph, Mikey, it's great to see you in one piece! Oh, and with April and Mr O'Neil as well. I'm so glad you're all okay".<br>Raph, shocked, however, walked up to Leo and went, "Okay? Dude, you just jumped right onto a skycar in flight, nearly killing yourself, brought it down to crash, and you were worried if we're okay"!?

And before Leo could answer back, Raph grabbed his eldest brother's right hand and made it grip his own right hand. Looking Leo in the eye, Raph then muttered quietly, "Don't do that to me ever again".  
>And before Leo could reply, Raph winked and went, "Well done, bro".<p>

Leo squeezed back, smiling as Raph smiled back.

"My sons, you have returned. With April and her father, I presume"?

All heads turned to the 4 ft tall mutant rat ninja master and father to 4 teenage mutant ninja turtles. April had been accustomed to Master Splinter earlier, but the same could not be said for her father, who pointed to the 4 ft tall mutant rat wearing robes and carrying a walking stick, and muttered, "Their, their, their father's a rat. A, a, a giant talking rat"?

Everyone was surprised as Kirby soon fell down backwards and fainted.

With Splinter's right eyebrow raised, April (who had rushed down to her father's side, checked him and sighed in relief as he was alright) soon looked at the surprised Turtles and their rat sensei, sighing and saying, "Well, my father seems to be scared of rats, it seems".

Silence followed, and then, Splinter addressed his sons.  
>"My sons, wait for me and Miss O'Neil in the dojo, for we have much to discuss".<p>

All four bowed and went, "Hai, Sensei", then left for the dojo.

With his four sons now in the dojo, Splinter then turned to April O'Neil, who was now trying to get her father to wake up. Walking over to her, he then put a hand on her left shoulder, which she responded by looking at the elderly rat.  
>"Miss O'Neil, I have a solution".<br>Her face brightened, and before she could say anything, Splinter got out of his robes, a small flask that he carried with him, and opened the top, allowing it's contents to drop over Kirby's face.

Spluttering and coughing came afterwards, as Kirby sat up, looked at a shocked April and went confusingly, "April? Where am I? It smells horrible down here! Just like a sewer"!  
>And then, he remembered, "Oh, yeah, now I remember".<p>

April looked back up, with shock in her face, to Splinter, who only gave her a cloth to help dry off Kirby's now wet face, which she then did, and April explained to her shocked father, who now remembered why he fainted in the first place, "Yeah, the Turtles, their father's a mutant rat. Long story about them, but he's okay, dad, you've got nothing to fear".  
>Kirby didn't look convinced and Splinter picked this up, stating, "You do not have to fear me, my friend. Please, rest assured, you are safe in our home".<p>

Then, before anyone could reply back, Splinter then moved to the dojo, and said, "Please, April, Mr O'Neil, come join me in the dojo. You and my sons have a great many things that you'd like to discuss".

* * *

><p>After Kirby had been given a shortened version on the origin tale of Master Splinter and the Turtles, Splinter allowed the stunned silence of Mr O'Neil (who then looked upon the Turtles and Splinter with a very curious look) to continue, before he then addressed his sons.<p>

"My sons, so what happened at Stocktronics"?

Donnie, Mikey and Raph turned to Leo, who as leader, spoke out for them, and began, "Well, we managed to get to Stocktronics and managed to free April and Mr O'Neil from Stocktronics. Then we went to the office of Doctor Baxter Stockman, where we decided where to go next. And he wasn't alone, Sensei. Some strange woman was there, and guess what, Stockman mentioned a name and she totally flipped at it's mention".

Eyebrows raised, Splinter continued, "A name, Leonardo? Go on, my son".

"Well, Doctor Stockman mentioned a name, Cerberus, and the woman pretty much exploded in a rage. You should have heard her, it was as if Stockman spilled out something he shouldn't have".  
>"Hmmmmmm..."<p>

Then, Raph interrupted, "Okay, now I'm confused, what kinda name is Cerberus"?

Splinter interjected, "In Ancient Greek times and in Roman mythology, Cerberus was a hellhound. A three-headed dog with the tail of a serpent, the mane of snakes, and the claws of a lion. He was the guardian of entrance to the underworld, that prevented the dead from leaving, or the living to enter, appointed by the Greek god of the underworld, Hades".  
>"Okay, I get that Cerberus was some three-headed ancient greek dog..."<br>Donnie butted in, and went, "Well, technically Cerberus' heads varied and he was a hellhound..."  
>"Yeah, very interesting"!, Raph sarcastically snapped back and then Leo spoke up, "Actually, what is Cerberus? Is it one person, or is it a group"?<p>

Then suddenly, Kirby interrupted, "Actually, I might provide you with answers to that".

Splinter was now fully surprised and prompted Kirby, "Go on, Mr O'Neil".

Coughing slightly, Kirby then went, "Okay it's like this. In Stocktronics, I'm a computer programmer. Or should I say, was. Anyway, we were working on a new project, the Mousers, that were meant to clean up the Citadel's rat problem. But over the past fourteen weeks, several of my colleagues, whom I was working with, simply vanished with no trace. Disappeared, as in one day they were at work, the next, they weren't. I began checking and it turns out that they never left the Citadel, never resigned, never sacked or anything like that. They just simply vanished. I began poking my nose in places I shouldn't have, and Doctor Stockman got note of it, took me to his office, and told me straight up that it was none of my business and was a distraction. And all that time, I realize now, he was making subtle threats that if I continued on".

"But I just was too curious". Sighing and smiling morbidly, he continued on, "probably too curious for my own good. Anyway, I sneaked into Doctor Stockman's office when he was out, and I discovered that he had a secret terminal, so I accessed it".  
>Donnie however, interrupted, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, accessed it? Mr O'Neil, didn't it have a password"?<br>"No. And that's the thing, the terminal was well hidden that I don't think that Stockman needed a password on there. Well, big mistake for him. So then, I checked the emails on the terminal and it turned out that Doctor Stockman had been giving funds away from his private bank account to a bank account at Terra Commonwealth Bank. The next message afterwards, had Doctor Stockman receive funding from someone, someone who I reckoned, was giving him outside help with the Mouser Project".

But before anyone else could inject, he went on. "And that's not the last of it. The final email was where I found out about Cerberus. The lettering in the email seemed to imply that they were a group and not just an alias of one person. Even though some names were redacted on there, it mentions that Cerberus invested in Doctor Stockman's Mouser Project. And that very knowledge seemed so dangerous that they were willing to kidnap April and force me to keep my mouth shut and focus my work on the Mousers".

Donnie, humming to himself, as he checked his omni-tool, then went, "Curious. I've got nothing on this Cerberus at all through the extranet. It's all like urban myths and supposition and some conspiracy people reckon that an organization by the name of Cerberus commits regular acts of political sabotage and other acts that are numerous to name them all".

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, brainiac. So what if you've got nothing on Cerberus, we should get up there and hunt down Cerberus ourselves"!

As the hotheaded red-masked turtle stood up, Splinter however closed up to Raph, shouting **"****Yame****!"**.

Everyone flinched at this sudden shout, and Splinter then went into his 'elderly master mode', as Mikey would put it, "This, Cerberus group, must be truly masters of covering their tracks and sticking to the shadows, if they are not widely known. So, exercise patience, Raphael! You cannot strike at a shadow until it is brought into the light, and this Cerberus, will do their utmost to stick to the shadows. Understand, Raphael"?

A growl and, "Hai, Sensei".

Then Kirby asked Master Splinter, "Urmmmm, well, now, what am I and April going to do now? Your sons told me that we cannot go back to our apartment at the 498 Block, because there might have been an ambush waiting..."  
>"And they are correct, Mr O'Neil".<br>"What"?  
>"Yes. Doctor Stockman and his organization know where you lived, and thus, if you and April went back there, you'll be found in no time, and all the efforts that my sons have put in, to rescue you two, would have all been for nothing. And you cannot go on the run either, for Doctor Stockman may stop at nothing to ensure that you and April will not see the light of day, in order to keep Cerberus secret. So, it is best, if you and April remain here, with us in the sewers".<p>

April, was shocked beyond belief, and looked at her father, who was gobsmacked. April then stated worriedly, "But, but, but, but, I can't stay in the sewers! What about my friends? What about school? What about my whole life"?  
>Slumping down on the floors of the dojo, with her head in her arms, hands on her knees, her father could only sit down to her level and put an arm around her shoulders.<p>

"April".

Looking up, she made eye contact with the turtle standing over her, his dark blue eyes looking down on her sympathetically, "We can't promise that things will be different in one week, or one month, or even a year from now. We can't promise that things will go back to normal like before you met us. But what we can promise, is that we'll figure this out. One step at a time. And we'll make sure that you and your father will have your life back".  
>Looking up at Leo, and contemplated what he said, dropping her head down and closing her eyes as she sighed.<p>

Then after a few moments, she opened her eyes, looked right into Leo's eyes, and said, with heartfelt resolve, "Okay then".

Getting up, she then embraced Leo into a hug, and whispered into his ear, "I never got the chance to say thank you, to you and your brothers, Leo".  
>The shocked Leo, at being hugged by a human, had surprised in his face, and hugged back, smiling as he whispered, "You're welcome, April".<p>

* * *

><p><strong>And that's that!<strong>

**Hope everyone had a great halloween! Anyways, it's now almost over. Just the epilogue and then after that? Well, you'll just have to wait and see :D**

**Oh and hope you enjoyed that small cameo ;)**

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and see you next time for the epilogue.**

**Update 3/11/14: (Well, I hate to do this, but looking back at the chapter now, I didn't exactly feel satisfied with the ending chapter, so I decided to try and add a bit more depth to it, which I probably should done so in the first place. Sorry guys!)**


	30. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mass Effect do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners, namely Viacom and Bioware.**

* * *

><p><em>Unknown location, Somewhere in the Galaxy<em>.  
><em>February 6th, 2183<em>.

A star burned with a mixture of an angry orange red color and a calm, peaceful, azure blue, both raging amongst each other, neither side yielding against one another. And not only did it provide an sort of irony to the lone figure that inhabited the space station before it, it also provided natural light for a particular darkened office on that space station.

And within that office, Kai Leng was in the office, in the shadows out of sight behind his employer, the mysterious, elusive and charismatic leader of Cerberus, who sat down in a chair facing three holographic projections coming from the floor.

David Bishop, the director of the sole operating Cerberus cell on the Citadel, Olympus Cell, was speaking, as Doctor Baxter Stockman, the Chief Executive Officer of Stocktronics, and a woman, whose name Leng did not know, stood silently.

"And thus, our undercover operatives within C-Sec inform us that the skytruck from Stocktronics that was found in Parking Lot 2105 contained the fingerprints of our mystery guests. And they also tell us that the crashed skycar that fell into the street also contained some of the fingerprints of one of them. And even though C-Sec have taken both of them to be examined, they are no closer on getting the identities on who or what they are. And speaking of which, one of the reports detailed that the fingerprints from our mystery guests do not belong to any sentient species known in this galaxy, despite containing trace elements of human DNA that was 'woven in', for lack of a better term, with an unknown property. Whenever this is a genetic or chemical property, I have no idea. I'd need some more scientific help required, and in order to analyze that property, I'd need much more than fingerprints".

Bishop then glanced at Stockman, who immediately picked that up and angrily stated, "if you're looking for my help on this, forget it, Bishop. I'm a roboticist, not a chemist"!  
>Holding both his hands up in surrender, Bishop spoke sarcastically, in a distinctive rich, smooth voice that got people's attention, "Oh, yes. Clearly I forgot".<p>

Then, the woman spoke up, "Well, why not TCRI? They've got experts in chemistry, we could ask Dun for some of his scientists".  
>"A good idea, Miss Tremblay. But of course, we'd need these, 'Turtles', in person, to analyze their DNA and their blood, and I'd wager that they won't be so forthcoming if we ask politely. And of course, we would need to find them first, and the Citadel's a big place to search".<br>"And yes, I suspect it would be all down to committing Cerberus resources into finding these 'Turtles', but we need to get the OSD that they stole, back".  
>"I do agree on that Miss Tremblay, but any committing Cerberus resources for a search and capture will expose Cerberus. Expose our plans with Doctor Stockman's Mousers and set back everything Cerberus has worked for all these past 20 years".<br>Stockman then angrily butted into the conversation between Bishop and Tremblay, "Okay, this is getting us nowhere. How sure are you that they're not Alliance experimentations, working on denial operations for the Alliance"?

"Pretty sure, Doctor Stockman".

All three holographic projections turned to face the Illusive Man, who had finally spoken after watching both Bishop, Tremblay and Stockman bicker amongst one another.  
>The Illusive Man, sitting in his chair, with an ever present cigarette in his right hand between the index finger and the middle finger, brought it up to his lips for a drag, a red glow being produced and burning through bit by bit, before he brought it out and gave a long exhale of smoke.<br>"We've got undercover operatives working in the Alliance, even within Alliance Military Intelligence and Alliance Special Operations Command. These mystery guests of ours have disappeared from view with Mr O'Neil, his daughter and the OSD, and since the Alliance hasn't received anything about it, we must assume that these mystery guests arn't affiliated with the Alliance".  
>But then Tremblay spoke out, "But sir, we cannot assume that! That OSD is dangerous in the wrong hands, and it holds potential blackmail material against us, we should be on the lookout and when we see them, hunt them down and destroy them".<br>Stockman then gleefully went, "Exactly, and their infiltration of Stocktronics cannot go unanswered! If you'll allow me, I'll get straight to work on something that'll destroy, these 'Turtles'"!  
>"Enough, Doctor Stockman. Your Mouser Project is more important. Keep your task on that. In the meantime, though, I need you to get the Mousers ready and working. If you need any personnel help or scientific help, let Miss Tremblay or Director Bishop know. They will inform me of any concerns you have. And anyways, I believe you need to start getting your building ready for tomorrow's opening hours".<br>Looking at the slumped scientist, the Illusive Man went on, "Do not let these Turtles impede your work, Doctor Stockman. Your work and your contributions are of value to me and to humanity. You may go now, Doctor Stockman. We'll be in touch". Doctor Stockman left the holographic projection and the Illusive Man cut off that transmitting projector.

"Director Bishop", his head snapping up to face the Illusive Man, at the mention of his name, "keep an eye out for these 'Turtles'. Have your operatives be on the lookout wherever they are. Report in of these sightings. And when the time comes, I'll send the necessary resources down to you and we'll take care of this problem. And Miss Tremblay, remain focused on your task, and ensure Doctor Stockman stays focused".  
>"Understood, sir". The Illusive Man nodding his head, Bishop and Tremblay both left.<p>

And as the holographic projections cut off, silence took over the darkened room, except for the slight humming that could be heard faintly, and the Illusive Man took another quick drag, with Leng still standing upright behind him in the shadows, but with a very slight frown on him as he thought through everything that he heard.

The silence dragged on for 2 minutes until, "You look troubled, Leng. What's on your mind"?  
>Surprised by the question, for the Illusive Man didn't even have a mirror in front of him to see Leng's troubled look, Leng had to resist the urge to remark 'are you asking or ordering me to do so, sir', for the Illusive Man had little patience for those who thought themselves as smartasses in front of him.<br>And so he spoke, "That OSD, what sort of information did it contain that Tremblay would call, blackmail material"?

The Illusive Man was silent for the moment, before he finally went, "The OSD that was stolen from Stocktronics, contained a series of instructions and orders for one of our undercover operatives working in Stocktronics under the cover of an intern. A set of instructions for his assignment. To get a trojan horse virus into the Mousers programming, as so when the Mousers would be linked up and connected to Alliance computers, the virus would activate and infiltrate their systems as so we have something that'll watch anything going on in the Alliance from within. It's all about the continuing battle for dominance, Leng. The battle to remain one step ahead of the Alliance".  
>Taking another drag, Leng couldn't help but notice that the Illusive Man sounded frustrated when he took his next exhale. The man always projected a calm, collected, aloof, indifferent, facade that it seemed that nothing could make him veer away from that. He very rarely projected anger and rage, and hardly shouted at all, and if he did display anger, you knew immediately. Leng certainly did so at times, which was why he always seeked to never fail the Illusive Man.<br>"And thus, with it gone, our plans have hit a temporary setback".

"As well as all we've put into Doctor Stockman's Mouser Project".

The Illusive Man shook his head slightly and said, "They will still be released to their respective buyers. For one, the Citadel is facing a growing rat problem, and there's that new Micro Security Mech '83 Competition between Hahne-Kedar and Stocktronics in a few months. Military-spec Mousers will be of course, going head to head against the new FENRIS Mechs that Hahne-Kedar are set on selling to the Alliance. And thus, in addition to the financial backing that we give to Stockman, he gives some in return also. And his scientific work benefits humanity. So I'd say that despite setbacks, it's not all completely lost".

Leng then stood silent, taking in the Illusive Man's answers.

Soon, Kai Leng asked, "So when will I come into play to take care of these Turtles"?  
>An eyebrow raised, the Illusive Man swiveled his chair at the press of a button to face Kai Leng and responded, "Patience, Leng. Not every problem can be solved by killing. These turtles, their intentions, their goals, they are an unknown variable. And with unknown variables, you need to know more on where they stand. So Olympus Cell is on a lookout for them, and when they are found, then a plan of action will form. But nonetheless, I'll be assigning you to remain on standby at a moments' notice, like always, ready to depart to the Citadel when I give the word. And I'll be assigning Rasa to partner alongside you".<p>

Leng's face had a brief look of surprise, before he settled to just raise his right eyebrow, and then made the effort to remain silent further, only replying with "Understood. But..."

At the sound of Leng trailing off, the Illusive Man enquired further, "Well? Do speak your mind, Leng".

Thinking to try and get the thoughts of having Rasa as his partner out of his head, Leng stated simply, "If you ask me, Stockman and Tremblay are right. That OSD is dangerous, even if these Turtles arn't with the Alliance. And they have stepped into business that isn't theirs. We should hunt them down and destroy them. Problem solved".

The Illusive Man only responded, by taking a rather long drag with his cigarette, and after exhaling, spoke, "You see a very small picture, Mr Leng. The Turtles, their place in the greater scheme of things is uncertain and we do not know where they stand".  
>"And we don't know if they'll show their faces again".<p>

Silence persisted for a long while, until, "No, we don't. Not yet".

Then, pressing the button on his chair, the Illusive Man turned to face a series of holographic monitors that turned on and further gave an orange glow to the room, and after taking his long drag from his cigarette and exhaling, states, "But, rest assured, Leng, I get the feeling that we, won't be seeing the last of these Turtles".

* * *

><p><strong>And that's the end! Well, the last chapter was the end, but this was just an epilogue to set things up for the next story, the release date of which I'm not sure and it might be a while. And I'm not exactly sure on where to put a 'The End' in the story. On the final chapter or the Epilogue?<strong>

**Whoa, and I've had quite a ride. And to say, I'm quite looking forward to continuing on the 'Turtle Effect' series.**

**Also, that whole Illusive Man facing his monitors, I had initially planned for him to give a smile, but it just doesn't seem like the Illusive Man to give those sort of wicked smiles, it's just not his style. So in the style of the ending scenes of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012 series, in which the final scene does a schink sort of noise and turns into a comic book panel, that's what I picture an ending in my Turtle Effect stories.**

**And to anyone with questions about Rasa, I can pretty much guess that you all know who that is. I wasn't happy with Mass Effect: Foundation or the way it dealt with her story, for certain parts of it made absolutely no sense to me at all. So we'll definitely be seeing a different take on the whole Rasa storyline.**

**So anyways, don't forget to leave a review and see you in the next edition of the Turtle Effect!**

**Update (11/11/14): Fixed up some grammar and added a few lines.  
>Update (1811/14): Added a bit more lines.**


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